i TREASURED MOMENTS-. BEHTQ A COMPILATION OP LETTERS ON VARIOUS TOPICS, WRITTEN AT DIFFERENT TIMES, AND IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. TOGETHER WITH NOTES, INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL, AND REMINISCENCES OF MEN AND THINGS. REV. E. N. SAWTELL, D.D, AUTHOB OF "CHTTBCH MANtTAl," " PLEA FOE FEMALE EDUCATION," ETC., CHAPLAIH TO BBITISH AUD AMEBICAN SEAMEN AT 1HB POET OF HAVBE, FBAKCE. LONDON : EOBEET K. BUET, HOLBOEN HILL, CITY. GLASGOW: DAVID BBYCE, BUCHANAN STEEET. 1860. Stack Annex r- PREFACE. A THOUSAND years before the Christian era, the wise man said, " Of 'making many books, there is no end." ' Did he speak historically, or prophetically ? If as an historian, would not his ideas on the subject of making books be vastly enlarged, were he living at the present day ? If as a pro- phet, who can doubt the truth of his prophecy, or that we are living in the day of its fulfilment? Again, when he facetiously adds, " Much study is a weariness of the flesh" to which of the twain did he refer to the book-maker, or to the book-reader? Perhaps he designedly left this an open question. Be that as it may, certain it is, most books are intentionally and professionally made. Not so with this ; like Horace's poets, this book was " born," not made. Its birth- place, the sunny hearts of personal friends ; its contents, the offspring of circumstances ; thrown off, often in haste, and always under the pressure of the most arduous and responsi- ble duties ; and where, too, the saloon of a noisy steamer, or the public parlour of a crowded hotel, has been my only sanctum. Amid crowds of uncongenial minds, my own often became restless and impatient of restraint, and then sought repose in action, and found rest in the use of the pen. Such were the circumstances that gave birth to these fugitive pieces here collected, and without the slightest idea of their ever assuming the present form. Whether these IV PREFACE. facts shall disarm the critic of his poisoned shafts, as to style and language, or serve as an antidote to the qualms of the fasti- dious reader, are matters of little importance. In a compila- tion of such fragmentary articles, culled from portfolios, whose dates run through a period of thirty-five years' ministry, in which opinions have been advanced touching a variety of sub- jects, moral and religious, viewed at different periods and from different points of observation, it would be strange indeed if the writer shall not be found to have advanced opinions " whereby some weak conscience shall be offended/' Sure I am of having touched one sensitive chord, which, for the last quarter of a century, has discoursed all manner of music, from the wildest yells of an Indian war-song down to the melting strains of an Eolian harp. But being no theorist, and having no theories to bolster up, and always inclined to take a practical rather than a visionary view of such subjects; and acknowledging no authority but the Bible ; and believing in no remedy for the ills and woes of men and nations, save the pure gospel of the blessed God our Saviour, I have written what I -have written, without the fear or favour of men ; and what I con- scientiously believe to be in accordance with the word of God. It was a common saying of the late lamented Jay, of Bath, that "the truth generally lies in the middle, and he is com- monly nearest to it who is abused by both the opposite parties." It is not improbable that the views herein expressed on the vexed question of slavery, and of our duties to the slave, may place me between two fires, thus furnishing the gratifying testimony of being nearest the truth. Whatever apology may be due to the public for allowing these disjointed scraps to go forth into the world in the shape of a book, that apology must be found, as has been intimated, in the hearts of personal friends, as expressed in the following Prospectus : PREFACE. V "TREASURED MOMENTS." BY DR. SAWTELL. Through a varied and laborious ministry, the Rev. Dr. SAWTELL, Chaplain to British and American Seamen, Havre, France, has seized upon odd moments for throwing out his thoughts upon many great questions that have agitated the church and the world. Some of his letters have been widely circulated and extensively read, quoted and commented upon ; and many have been the expressed wishes of his friends, both in Europe and America, to see them collected in a more per- manent form. No movement, however, had been made toward the accomplishment of their wishes till recently his friends in Havre, becoming alarmed at the prospect of his being driven from among them for want of support, drew up and sent to him the following petition : "To THE BKV. E. N. SAWTELL, D.D. DEAB SIB, " Memorials of departed worth possess a charm that finds an echo in every human breast ; and none touch a more tender chord, or make a stronger appeal to all the finer feelings of our nature, than those associated with Christian beneficence and self-sacrificing effort for the salvation of men. Considering, therefore, the uncertainty of life, and the precarious circumstances of your residence among us, your numerous friends in France and England concur in the ardent wish to possess some memorial of your abundant ministrations during your sojourn in Eurf pe ; and, as an expression of the prevailing desire, we earnestly solicit a compilation of such of your publications as have attracted general attention, and which, it is believed, would form a volume, not only of permanent value to the public, but of deep and lasting interest to your per- sonal friends on both sides of the Atlantic. " Confidently trusting, Dear Sir, that no feelings of delicacy on your part will cause you to shrink from a compliance with our wishes, and with assurances of our high esteem and ?ympathy in your great work, and of our united prayers for God's continual blessing upon it, we subscribe our names, &c. "JOHN SJLNSOM, "EDWARD MOXOD, "Eo. DE COHIKCK, "FEED. DE CONINCK, " HENBI MONOD, " WM. BBOOMHBAD." And many other Citizens and Friends. yi PKEFACE. In compliance with this petition, Dr. SAWTELL committed his papers and letters to the perusal and decision of friends in London, on condition, however, that in case of issuing a com- pilation THE PBOFITS OP THE WOBK SHAM BE SECUBBD TO THE SUSTAINING OP THE HATBE MISSION. After perusal of a portion of the published Letters and Manuscripts, and with the deep interest we feel in the Havre cause, we do most heartily and cordially unite in the prayer of our friends, and propose to publish, by sub- scription, a neat octavo volume of about five hundred pages, with a Steel Engraving of the Author. WILLIAM FEBGUSON, Treasurer of the London Committee for the Havre Mission. Many private letters have also been received, warmly ox- pressing the same sentiment on the subject ; a sample of which may be seen in the following extract from a letter just received from the Countess of Aldborough : " MY DEAB FBIEND, " It gives me sincere pleasure to learn that you have at length yielded to the ardent wishes of your friends, in allowing a compilation of such of your published letters, addresses, Ac., as treat of subjects of general interest. It will give to them a wider circulation, and a more permanent form ; and to your numerous friends, on both sides the Atlantic, the book will be invaluable ; but to no one can it be more so than to myself, as it will recall to mind those happy days spent under your ministry many years ago. Those were not only k a PP7> but profitable years to me, and greatly blessed to my spiritual welfare. " Whatever, therefore, brings to remembrance those sweet seasons of com- munion and fellowship with that little circle of Christian friends at Havre, will be very dear to my heart. " With devout thanksgiving to God for your spared life, and for bringing you back to the field of your former labours, and with fervent prayer for his richest blessings to rest upon you and yours, " I remain, Dear Sir, " Tours in the bonds of Christian affection, " To the Eev. Dr. Sawtell. " COBNELIA AU>BOBOTTGH." To God I commit and commend this book. If it shall please HIM to bless it, make it in any way a comfort to any dear friend, or cause it to emit one ray of light on any subject on which it treats, to HIM be all the glory. THE AUTHOR. ffavre, France, Jan. 20, 1860. CONTENTS. BOOK I. TE!J LETTERS TO THE COUNTESS OP ALDBOROUGH. LETTER I. PAG I Opportunities of understanding the subject "Watching tho diversity of gifts in pastors Their success and failure Knowing only books Nothing of the world The shoals Resolved to escape them The study of the world as it is Travels on horseback Visit to the Indians The missionaries The Heimitage Banks of the Mississippi Tho Gulf of Mexico Face to tho North The Waddells Tomb of "Washington A Sabbath in tho City Baltimore Philadelphia General Assembly Leave of absence . . i LETTER II. A jaded horse Arrival at home Eight years' absence Excitement and joy Again in the world As teacher and learner A wide field Sitting at the feet of good men Drs. Nott and Emmons Graves of Payson, Brainerd, and Whitfield Sudden call to preach Dr. Wisner Preached at Saratoga- Bonaparte's opinion Andover Seminary Intellect and soul Great revival at Portsmouth They need aid Start to their assistance . . . .10 LETTER IH- Arrival in Portsmouth Church and pulpit Inquiring meetitig Solemn scene Great work Not able to return to Andover Revival spreads Wade through deep snows, to meet appointments Beloved pastors Rev. Henry Smith His labours Return home Ripening for Heaven A visit to his house Walk to a grove His prayer parting death . . . .19 VJii CONTENTS. LETTEE IV. PAGE Fruits of the Revival- Bos ton Anniversaries-Cars to New Hampshire Recognised by a young minister Met him in the field fourteen years before -The results of that meeting-The train stops We part- Fifteen years after In a New England city At an hotel Iteading^wm Youn- gentleman enters-A spiritual father-A rector-Lessons learned-Revival ministers always men of prayer-They abound in charity are not noisy move softly, and speak gently 2 LETTER V. Itinerant school closing Adieu to New England -Revisiting the churches- Passing through Virginia Tennessee Rev. Dr. Anderson Revival in Kentucky Hasten to] it Dr. David Nelson His preaching His lenevo- l ence His weak pointe Call to the First Presbyterian church, Louisville Starting a second church It* success No detriment to the first A great blessing to the city 31 LETTER VI. Revival in Second church State of the church The influence of the world Lectures, -preaching Family in St. Louis Icebound Solemn vows to God Pastoral visits Preaching from house to house In the streetsIn dens of pollution No fear of man Shut up with Christ Study a Bethel Prayer- meetings Exhaustion Care and good nursing of friends Close of the old year First Sabbath of the new A memorable Sabbath State of mind The sermon Its influence and power over the audience Calling out the members of the church Their covenant with God The impenitent The whole scene Its happy results 35 LETTER VII. Fruits of the Revival Examination of young converts Little things arrest attention, when God's Spirit accompanies them The merchant His con- victions Conversion The first arrow The human face an eloquent preacher This Revival unique Extraordinary circumstances Lying pas- sive in God's hand No faith in machinery for "getting up Revivals" Results proved this to be a real work of God .42 LETTER VIII. Experience in Revivals If unable to judge of them, a dull scholar Opinions of Europeans The opinions of scoffing infidels How they account for "American Revivals " -Their pride-The secret of their hatred Hideous features not partial to a mirror Those living in sin hate the Bible A blind man not a good judge of colour" American Revivals " the work of the Holy Spirit Man's imperfections no proof against God's perfections Wheat and tares grow together until the harvest . . 4G CONTENTS. ix LETTER IX. PAGE Why not such a succession of Revivals in other countriea? God works by certain inherent laws la not the truth preached in England and Scotland? The gentle dew Showers Silent streams produce the same effect The old country homogeneous The new heterogeneous The origin of that infant nation Especially New England Hearing the great preachers of the old world Contrast with the American pulpit Great difference between the righteous and the wicked Doctrines preached and blest in American Revivals No church establishments An open Bible Free to sp3ak Free to act Better soil for Revivals than the old world Darkness of European minds on the subject of the great salvation Ignorance of the power of prayer Chinese feet Arid sands of the deserts Illinois prairie Priests, Bibles, magic lantern ........... 51 LETTER X. Religious establishments Union of church and state A great question Random thoughts Quiver of straws Seeing is believing God's great laboratory Mountain peak Lovely village Its site beautiful Its moral beauty Self-propelling power A walk to the church Look to the right Look to the left Bubbling springs The village encompassed No wells No cisterns The springs all-sufficient Man attempts to improve them Builds a dam A second Then a third The few are made rich The many are made poor Sickness and death ensue A picture to be studied The pure springs The running brook The pure gospel The free and open Bible The three dams are three church establishments All tend to the same end Some move faster, some slower All on the same track Bound to Rome Those who prefer going to Geneva had better change cars . . 57 BOOK II. Stamtn, Seamen's cause at Havre in 1836 Tattered flag-^Jack's chapel What has God wrought ? Sailors have gratitude Jack no longer forgotten Return- ing thanks Written expressions The ship Switzerland, of Boston Tem- perance ship Every man his Bible Renting a 'shed Sailors' boarding- house Sailors good missionaries Loss of the ship Eliza, of London The Yankee boy Sailors need our prayers Sailor washed overboard John Wilson's prayer ............ 69 The prodigal son returning to his father ........ 74 Say your prayers in fair weather ......... 80 Seamen's cause at Havre continued Origin of the seamen's chapel How came I a chaplain to seamen ? The way of man not in himself Out of health Travels prove ineffectual Voyage to China proposed Declined Something x CONTENTS. PAGE to do-Havre open-Leave Louisville-Sickness in New York-Embark for Liverpool- Arrival at Havre-Health improves-Labours increase-Larger accommodations-Appeal of ship-masters and officers-Appointment as Financial Secretary-Remonstrance-Embark for America -Labours in stirring up the churches-Eesults-Return to Havre-Seamen's chapel to be built-Nearly a year's delay-Breaking ground -Estimates -Filthy lucre a troublesome companion Small debt- English hearts respond Dedication Settled for life-New troubles Pressed into another field- Will not take the responsibility of deciding Friends decide for me Against my inclination Another remonstrance Submit and obey Embark for America Enter a new field Seven years' labour Strength failing- Establish a female seminary Providence points again to Havre The orphan child The reappointment to France 84 Forty days amid ocean gales 95 FOUR LETTERS, ON THE CHARACTER OF AMERICAN SEAMEN, AND THE TREMENDOUS EVILS OF THE SYSTEM OF ADVANCED WAGES. LETTER I. Great changes in twenty years Sailors not now what they were then Foreigners not the sons of New England Do not understand the English language Know nothing of the Bible The school in which they have been educated Variety in a crew The farmer sailor Been round the Horn Loss of life and property Lack of interest on the subject of reforming the system 98 LETTER II. Cruelty on shipboard Terrible effects of the system of advanced wages Charles P kidnapped Beaten almost to death Arrives in Havre In the hospital Mind unhinged Partial recovery Crew of twenty coloured sailors Three murders on the voyage Eight others nratilated Numbers in the hospital Condition of sailors contrasted with that of slaves Reasons for the illustration Different effects upon the public mind Apathy in the one all excitement in the other The golden rule reversed The effect of working by the rule as Christ gave it Postscript 108 LETTER III. Evidences of a deterioration in the character of seamen What shipmasters were What many of them now are Captain C making his last voyage A captain's wife A third straw Are chaplains doing their duty ? A supposed case Impure water Casks examined Stevedore Stagnant pool Stevedore arrested Case argued Pleads his own cause Lawyer replies Contrast with the system of advanced wages Don't eat sailors CONTENTS. xi PAGE What the Bible teaches What is the body to the soul ? A moral cesspool is the forecastle of a ship No marvel Sowing to the wind A Websterian speech Return to Captain C Old-fashioned shipmasters Solemn ques- tion A national disgrace American sailors in the streets The police Fragments of ears and lips Our representatives Surgeon A bloody fight Nothing more common The crimsoned cheek 124 LETTEE IV. The remedy ! the remedy ! What can be done ? Much, if the public mind can be awakened Education necessary All other classes thought of 500,000 sailors Taste, money, and skill expended on the ship Nothing on the sailor To cleanse the forecastle Maritime schools Not on land, but the sea Comparison Reform school Westfield The word of God No right education without it What is the chief end of man? Objections Too expensive Means of lessening expense Advantages Early mental disci- plineHabits of cleanliness Religious training Employment of pious sea-captains Saving thousands of our youth Self-interest requires it Marine losses Insurance, twenty-six millions annually Our national pride requires it Conclusion Uniform dress Boston blue The chapel a place for choosing a good crew .......... 134 Notes from my Diary The Hospital Convalescent Faith strengthened by sight A mother's heart made glad Hugh Thomas A runaway boy Trip to England Edinburgh, No. 1, Market-place A mother's faith and prayer Instructive providence Blind Bartimeus A sermon The results . . 147 Notes and Incidents continued 152 The grave of Alonzo C. Marshall An only son His sudden death The city of Havre High table-land around The quiet unique spot Surrounding scenery Roman Catholic and Protestant grounds The grave-stone The epitaph Drop a tear "Be ye also ready" Singular incident Another only son, John Marshall 1G6 BOOK III. FOUR LETTERS WRITTEN IN 1846. LETTEE I. Motto Jefferson Maryland editor Facts respecting slavery at the South Character of the age Opportunities of understanding the subject Erro- neous impressions atthe North Southern characters not understood Slaves happy and cheerful Kindly feelings between masters and slaves The coloured matron Seventeen children Her affection for her master and mistress No freer than I am Slaves not over-worked Runaway slaves Their desire to return to their master The slave steadily emerging from barbarism to a state of Christian civilisation ....... 176 xii CONTENTS. LETTER II. PAGE The morning cometh Changes in public sentiment Slavery an evil The slave beside his master In the counting-room A preacher Slaves may learn The law a dead letter Slaves made pets Inherit their master's property White people driving out the slaves Changes in plantations Slavery no economy Hope for the slave Hope for Africa -Hope for our country Increased attention to the Christian education of slaves Large churches of slaves Schools for the children taught by the mistress Sabbath school instruction Christian ladies slaves to their slaves .... 182 LETTEE III. Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to God More kind sympathy and real benevolence at the South shown to the slaves than can be found at the North They better understand it The wealthy planter A Sabbath with him His church His own slave the preacher Master present Singing and weeping Educating his slaves for Liberia Many have gone Letters from them Manner of teaching Discipline Motives What he was, and what he is . . . . . . . . . . LETTER IV. ' My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord " Emigration of whites to the United States Supplanting the slaves Papal slaves taking the place of African slaves The one coming to learn what liberty is, the other going to Africa, to teach what they have learned United States Umpire between two continents of slaves God never in a hurry Let us learn wisdom Both North and South need to learn Both are guilty Liberia with the gospel, the hope of Africa . . 194 THREE LETTERS, ADDRESSED TO AN ABOLITIONIST OF THE GARRISON SCHOOL. LETTER I. Can an Abolitionist err? Keystone of the arch drops out Important advice Cease to do evil Vindictive spirit Narrow views Quarrelling with God's providence God can govern the world Humility Paul's advice- Different kinds of slavery Bondage to sin and Satan Abolition meetings in Boston and New York Frightful picture Contrast with Christian slaves Liberty worth having Interchange of scenes between the North and South- -Forming Abolition societies South to liberate Northern slaves . 199 CONTENTS. xiii LETTEE II. PAGE All men have something to do To find the proper field Always in reach Paul a model missionary Brainerd and Stoddard Preaching to, not against, people The Saviour came into the world not to condemn, but redeem No evidence of courage in standing at a distance to scold and denounce Desecration of the pulpit Felix Neff A change in the temper and spirit of Abolitionists much needed When that change takes place, there will be hope for the slave and hope for the country .... 206 LETTEE III. Young America boiled down Experience in slave states Always enough to do within my own bounds United with an anti-slavery society Rebound of Northern fanaticism School of slaves when settled in Louisville School broken up Young America has no time for education A foreign field New kind of slavery Interlaced with commerce Grapple with it Better fight an enemy hand to hand Some prefer being at a distance, as it is more safe Paper bullets quite harmless Young pastor Like priest, like people Preach the whole gospel Christ the centre Obey God The world is the field Too large for one man Select the spot Pack your trunk-Be off 212 Coloured schools in Louisville resuscitated Letter from the agent of the American Bible Society 220 APHOEISMS. 1. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever 2. God's purposes formed in infinite benevolence 3. God's law, not his decrees, the rule of action 4. God's law of love ; the golden rule 5. The law of love acted upon ; the salvation of our country 6. A vindictive spirit always prolific of evil 7. The heart is deceitful ; none but God can know it 8. Slavery a bad thing ; God will bring a good thing out of it 9. Slavery not to be removed by incendiary movements 10. God can and will do it through his own ap- pointed means ....... i .... 224 LETTEE SUPPLEMENTAEY. Modern Reformers Their spirit not the spirit of Christ Their plan of re- forming the world not God's plan Their weapons not of God's choosing Their lax views of God's truth leads to infidelity Drawing a picture of what the world ought to be Chalking out their plan Study the Bible, not to learn their duty, but to bend it into the support of their measures They seethe it and stretch it It speaks the same truth still Now under the anvil, now into the vice The result the same Here begins the terrible contest with God and the Bible Both are discarded The pride of their heart has deceived them Peter and Paul When men's thoughts and ways XIV CONTENTS. PAGE are in harmony with God's, they can afford to be amiable The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God More than one side to the slavery question The malignant spirit in discussing the subject of slavery has kept the whole country like a ship in a storm Appeal to Christians, not to politicians A supposed case What then? Masters and slaves both have souls The gospel method None of men's nostrums Modern sciolists Missions Their proclamation Universal equality and brotherhood Mis- sionaries sent to England, Eussia, Germany Scotland, pitch into House of Old John Knox Type of fogeyism It is demolished Log cabin erected Their-Bible Tom Fame Atlantic Monthly Calvin Wycliffe Huss Scotland receiving new light Reformation nearly complete Dr. C. sent to the South Takes the bull by the horns Dies a martyr These are man's ways Young America The world emptied, swept, and garnished Christ and his gospel virtually repudiated The contrast God's ways not man's God's proclamation Go ye into all the world Preach the gospel Paul the missionary His text His sermon Its happy results Holy Spirit The work spreads All is love, peace, joy Christ honoured The gospel honoured Paul's life and usefulness prolonged The abstract question of slavery practically settled before it is discussed The difference between God's ways and man's ways Man works at the branches, God lays the axe at the root Man looks upon the outward appearance God looketh upon the heart Man's gospel is a gospel of wrath God's gospel is one of love A refiner's fire, and fuller's soap 233 Muttum in Parvo; or, comforting thoughts ....... 245 Present Lnqpressjons and convictions ........ 247 Bright prospects opening to the African race 249 SKETCHES OF THE BEPUBLIC OP LIBEEIA. BY J. "W. LUGENBEEL. CHAPTER I. Geography Soil Rivers Settlements Monrovia New Georgia Caldwell Virginia Kentucky Millsburg Marshall Edina Buchanan Bexley Greenville Readsville Lexington Louisiana Maryland in Liberia . . . . .'.-.'. . . .251 CHAPTER H. Climate and seasons t f * t t t t . . 261 CHAPTER in. Productions 268 CHAPTER IV. Productions (continued) . . ^ . . . . 278 CHAPTER .V. Productions (continued) 286 Native Africans in Liberia their customs and superstitions .... 293 Constitution of the republic of Liberia ........ 304 Flag and seal of the republic of Liberia 318 Colonisation its principles and aims . . . . . . . 318 American Colonisation Society . . . ... . . . 335 Constitution of the American Colonisation Society . * 350 Twenty reasons for the success of Liberia . . '.'... . . 352 Common sense inference 354 Population of Liberia . . . : '. . ... . . . .355 BOOK I. TEJN" LETTEES TO THE COUNTESS OF ALDBOEOUGH, TTPON THE SUBJECT OF " By whom shall Jacob arise ? " Amos vii. 2. " O Lord, revive thy work." HabakTcuk iii. 2. " I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel." Ezefc. xxxvi. 37. " Your heavenly Father giveth the Holy Spirit to them that ask him." Luke xi. 13. LETTER I. ENTERING A NEW SCHOOL. SEEING THE WORLD AS IT IS. MY DEAR FRIEND, In our first conversation upon " American Revivals," my tongue cheerfully responded to the questions your ladyship propounded ; but when subsequently you ask my views, in writing, and what have been my opportu- nities of forming a judgment of their character and in- fluence, and what of my personal experience, and of the part I have taken in them, I confess my judgment recoils at narrating what my heart loves to dwell upon. For though, with gratitude to God, I acknowledge that my acquaintance with revivals, and with distinguished ministers and pastors whom God hath delighted to honour in promoting them, has been peculiar, and my opportunities for participating in them have been neither few nor small, yet so exceedingly difficult is it to speak of one's own experience without giving to the narration, at least, the semblance of egotism, that for months I have been shrinking from the attempt, and now yield only under the conviction that, in your importunities, you are moved by a sincere love to your Master's cause, and my prayer is, that the same love may guide my pen in so delicate an under- taking. To begin then at the beginning : During my academical, collegiate, and theological course of studies, I was much in the habit of studying the character and watching closely the habits of ministers of the gospel, espe- A 2 4 TREASURED MOMENTS. cially settled pastors, noting carefully their diversity of gifts, their peculiar talents and tact for reaching and influencing different classes of mind, the ease with which some could adapt themselves to circumstances, as much at home in the Sabbath school as in the hall of science, before a congrega- tion of slaves as before an assembly of the elite and savans of the land, and could so modify their language and simplify their illustrations, that the heart of the child and the sage would be made to throb and thrill together under the power of their eloquence. Thus, under the administrations of such pastors, I discovered that the ignorant became enlightened, the wise became wiser, and God's truth found a lodgment in the darkest minds, as it did in those of the highest culture In perfect contrast with this, I remarked others of acknow- ledged piety and talents, clear, logical minds, stored with rich and varied learning, who utterly failed in making their piety or talents tell upon a community : they left behind them no deep traces of either. After much study and watchfulness, deep reflections and many comparisons, I was brought to the conclusion that their failure was to be attributed mainly, if not solely, to their ignorance of everything but books. Sent, perhaps, at an early age, from an obscure neighbour- hood to an academy, thence to a college, from college to a theological seminary, and from the seminary straight into the pulpit, a pastor and shepherd, to watch for souls, where every class and description of mind and character are to be met and dealt with the force of early education in one, the power of habit in another, old and deep-rooted prejudices in a third, and all with tempers diverse one from another how shall they deal with these minds, and give ho unhandy touch ? How can they become a Paul at once ? " be made all things to all men" ? " To the Jews, become as a Jew, to the weak become as weak "? Ah ! they find all their learning at fault. They can quote the classics with exactness, can scatter to the winds the sophistry and subleties of vain philosophers and learned infi- dels ; but these are neither the one nor the other ; they are AMERICAN REVIVALS. 5 plain unlettered men, belonging to the mighty masses, to whom the gospel is to be preached, and from among whom her most illustrious trophies are to be gathered. Now, where are we to look for their defect, their utter inability to meet and deal with these cases ? They are ripe scholars : their Latin, Greek, and Hebrew are at their fingers' ends, their minds richly stored. Yes ; but alas ! of man in his everyday life, and of the ceaseless workings and operations of his mind, and of the heaving throes and surging billows of the great world around them, and how to cast in the gospel net, that they might by all means save some, they know nothing at all, consequently are too dogmatical and self-opinioned in everything pertaining to books, but credulous and easily imposed upon in all the practical duties of their office, and in the common affairs of life ; and what increased the evil in many cases was, that during their academical studies they became affianced to some blooming maiden, and the day of their induction into the ministry found them at the Hymeneal altar, as if to cut off the last hope of seeing the world as it is. Whether this may account in part for the frequent changes of pastors we will not decide ; but it is a melancholy fact, that not a few of those who have by four steps leaped from the plough to the pulpit, have been compelled by one step to leap from the pulpit back to the plough. Discovering, as I thought, the shoals on which so many vessels had foundered, "earthen vessels," to whom was committed the sacred treasure, I marked them early upon my chart, and resolved to give them a wide berth. On being licensed, therefore, to preach the gospel, and receiving ordination as an evangelist, I was as free and untrammelled as the uncaged bird. No alliance with church or maiden, I entered at once into another school another department of learning, and prosecuted studies not found in the course of our best seminaries : the study of the world as it is, not as we find it in books ; the study of men as we find them in active, every -day life ; and of pastors and missionaries as seen in their respective fields, with their armour on and burnished. 6 TREASURED MOMENTS. Turning a deaf ear to all appeals for a settlement, I mounted a horse, and from 1824 to 1828 inclusive, I travelled over the length and breadth of our almost boundless country. And with such ardour did I enter this new field of study, that at the close of the first year I was not a little surprised to find that, exclusive of the territories of three Indian tribes and the district of Columbia, I had traversed fourteen states of the Union, amounting in the aggregate to over seven thousand miles. Starting south from Tennessee, through Alabama ; then into the wild, unbroken forests of the Chickasaws and Choctaws ; visiting missionary stations ; forcing my way through cane- brakes, so thick and interlaced as to be obliged often to dis- mount, and with my knife cut a path for my horse ; then along the banks of the Mississippi, crossing bayous and swollen streams ; foundering in the quicksands ; then over the plains of Louisiana ; and from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, turning my horse northward, before the expiration of the year found myself on the banks of the Merrimac, among the granite hills of New Hampshire. Some of the most thrilling incidents and hair-breadth escapes of my life occurred during this first year's mission, but which may not incumber this letter ; and instead thereof, will, with gratitude, record the goodness and loving-kindness of God in bringing my heart into contact and sweet communion with some of the noblest specimens of renovated man and Christian beneficence that it has ever been my privilege to meet : such as Father Kingsburg, that apostle to the Indians, and his co-labourer, Byington ; Colonel Fulsome, the Christian Indian, the scholar, and statesman. O what a lesson I received ! nnd what a privilege I felt it to be, to preach, though by an interpreter, to those children of the forest, assembled on the Sabbath, neatly clad, their countenances beaming with intel- ligence, and lighted up with hope, joy, and gratitude, as the stranger pointed them to the crucified and glorified ONE, who is soon to have the heathen for his inheritance, and the utter- most parts of the earth for his possession. Mayhew proved AMERICAN REVIVALS. 7 indeed a Bethel to me ; my soul was refreshed, and I went on my way rejoicing. On this tour, too, I spent a memorable Sabbath at the Hermitage, in the family of General Jackson ; preached in his own chapel, where he and his wife and coloured people, and his neighbours from the surrounding country, gathered together, forming an assembly of peculiar interest ; some were moved to tears. The remainder of the Sabbath was spent principally in the study of the Word of God. The old veteran seemed to think that no other book was worthy of the day ; and in occasional remarks upon some of its glorious fundamental doctrines, and of Christ and the great salvation, the tears coursed down his furrowed cheeks. Morning and evening the family assembled in the drawing-room, with their domestics, where the Scriptures were read, a hymn of praise sung, and we all bowed together around the family altar to worship the God of the Bible. After two days and two nights of more than ordinary interest and pleasure, I departed, giving glory to God. This, too, was the year that I first felt the warm beatings of those noble Christian hearts, the Waddells of Virginia. Stood in the pulpit, and preached in the same little log church, standing in that same shady grove where the eloquent Dr. Waddell so long preached after he became blind ; and whom Wirt so beautifully and graphically describes, when once addressing communicants at the Lord's table, " Turning his sightless balls to heaven, and in the tenderest and most impassioned tones, exclaimed, * Socrates died like a philosopher, but Jesus like a God.' " From this sacred spot to the capital, I, for the first time, enjoyed the luxury of letting fall a tear upon the grave of Washington ; a tear of gratitude to God, that in this dark world of oppression and sorrow, we behold, occasionally, a man endowed with peculiar gifts and virtues, looming up above his fellows, and standing as a beacon light to future generations. While in the capital, I sat at the feet of that earnest, laborious servant of Christ, Rev. Daniel Baker, D.D., now in heaven. He insisted on my sharing the 8 TREASURED MOMENTS. labours of the Sabbath with him, promising, that when I became a pastor he would (D.V.) return the favour. He did return it with interest, some ten years after ; after listen- ing to some of the speeches of the most eloquent members of Congress, such as the eccentric Randolph, Webster, Clay, Calhoun, and others, all of whom have passed to their final account, I left for the city of Baltimore, where I mingled in the society of warm-hearted pastors and Christians, and where, on the Sabbath, I enjoyed the privilege of both hearing and preaching the word. The following week found me quartered in Philadelphia, a delegate from Union Presbytery to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. Here opened an exciting chapter in my new department of learning, which, to an ardent, youthful mind, bent upon studying men as we find them in church and in state, was one of deep and thrilling interest ; and for some ten days that body, in all its varied phases and exciting debates, composed, as it was, of some of the best and greatest men -of the nation, was, to my mind, one pro- longed and enchanting drama. I was, to be sure, but a pupil, but felt confident of being in a good school. My natural diffidence and distrust of my own powers held me back from that too common error of young members, that of attempting by their maiden speeches to enlighten the fathers in Israel, whose mental optics they imagine have become dimmed by age ; hence, before these pregnant youth are all safely delivered and laid in the straw, much precious time runs to waste. So sensitive was I to this error, I scarcely allowed my voice to be heard upon that floor through all its sessions, save in the yeas and nays, which gave the finale to exciting questions, and a quietus to the more exciting debates ; and but for one little circumstance I might have escaped notoriety altogether, which, as a young man, I was anxious to do. This circumstance grew out of certain rules of the house requiring members, who desired leave of absence, to send up their request to the Moderator in writing, stating their reasons. These requests being read, a vote of the Assembly was taken, and if, AMERICAN REVIVALS. 9 in the minds of the house, the reasons were of sufficient weight to sustain the request, that member was set free from the remaining sessions. And as all the important business before the house had been disposed of, and as I had not seen my parents during the entire course of my education, I ventured to send up my request for leave of absence, and in the simpli- city of my heart stated as the only reason, " That I had been absent from my family more than eight years" This announcement was like an electric shock, and before the Moderator had time to put the question, the spontaneous cry of the whole Assembly was, " Yes, yes, yes, let him have leave, he deserves it." Being a perfect stranger to most of the members who had just voted, without knowing or thinking of the kind of family to which allusion had been made, and having now carried the house by acclamation upon the only question with which I had ever troubled them, when the youthful victor arose, with these laurels fresh upon his brow, to bow himself out of the house, it was like opening another electric battery, every eye was upon him ; intense excitement, wonder, and astonishment followed, as if every member had jumped to the sudden conclusion that that modest, retiring youth must have had the most indulgent of parents, to have allowed him to marry at so early an age. The two succeeding years, in which it was my privilege to have a seat in that body placed me upon different and, at at times, upon more responsible ground. My personal knowledge of the country, of ministers, and churches having greatly extended, I did not find it so easy to sequester myself ; felt more at home, and took a more active and prominent part in the business and deliberations of that distinguished eccle- siastical court. But more anon. Yours, &c. 10 LETTER II. LEARNER AND TEACHER. MY DEAR FRIEND, We must bear in mind the difference between a jaded horse and a steam-engine, to account for the fact, that, anxious as I was to see " my family," three Sabbaths intervened from the time I bowed myself out of that assembly in Philadelphia to the time I lighted at my father's door ; a distance of some 500 miles. But these were memorable Sabbaths spent in Brooklyn, New York, New Haven, Con- necticut, and Providence, R I., in Christian families deeply interested in the cause of missions among the Indians ; and my recent visit among them, the incidents and facts gathered from personal observation, the hymns I could sing in their native language all gave a peculiar zest to our Christian intercourse. I also preached each Sabbath ; and never having learned the art of reading sermons, and being now in a part of the country where the practice was universal, gave to my preaching an air of novelty, which to the masses was not a little exciting : nor can I cease to praise God for guiding me into those families, and awakening in them and others the kindness and Christian sympathy that everywhere awaited me ; and though the parents have long since passed to their reward, their children are among my dearest and most cherished friends, with whom, by the aid of the pen, I have held sweet converse from that day to this. Of the joys and delights of the few subsequent weeks shel- AMERICAN REVIVALS. 11 tered beneath the paternal roof, in the society of loved parents, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbours, preaching on Sabbaths to crowded assemblies, in which I could recognise the companions of my childhood, the associates of my boyish days, my teachers and my school-fellows, all hanging upon my lips. Ah ! of these things I will not speak ; they are among the sacred treasures of the heart, of which a stranger meddleth not. But at the expiration of these jubilant hours, I sallied forth once more from my father's house and re-entered the world in the double capacity of teacher and learner.* My field and school ground were sufficiently large and rich in resources to satisfy the loftiest ambition, extending from the shores of the Atlantic to the lakes, and from the banks of the Potomac to the Keimebeck. Wherever the Lord was pouring out his Holy Spirit, there I wished and aimed to be. I longed to learn the holy art of winning souls to Christ ; and where could I better learn it than to go where Christ himself was at work by the power of the Holy Spirit whom he pro- mised to send into the world? And in what better school, and under what better teaching, could I have been placed than sitting at the feet of those great and holy men pastors and evangelists whom Christ delighted to honour in these glorious revivals such as Nevins, Baker, Wilson, Livingstone, Patter- son, Nettleton, Finney, Cox, Griffin, Beecher, Wisner, Cor- nelius, and the Danas ; not to mention others, all of whom it was my privilege not only to hear, but with some of them to labour for weeks and even months ? Then in passing from place to place I often found it convenient to slip into the lecture-rooms of some of our best seminaries, and have my soul stirred within me under the impassioned eloquence. of such men as Professor Alexander, Miller, and others. Then * In addition to this double capacity, I had also volunteered my services to collect funds and books for an infant seminary in Tennessee, which occupied all my. spare moments, and resulted in putting many hundreds of dollars into its treasury, and adding many hundreds of volumes to its library. I was, there- fore, never iu want of something to do. 12 TREASURED MOMENTS. again it was my delight to get among the patriarchs, whose silvered locks carry you back a century, holding on to their three-cornered hats, short clothes, silk stockings, and silver- plated shoe-buckles. Miles have I gone out of my way just to spend a night with such venerable fathers in Israel as Dr. Nott, of Connecticut, bordering upon his hundredth year; and old Dr. Emmons, of Massachusetts, not many years behind. What a treat to be trundled back fourscore years and ten, and through the optics of such antiquaries take a peep at the church and the world as they then stood ! My visit to the latter of these patriarchs was a never-to-be-forgotten one. The evening was spent in conversation at once delightful, instructive, and impressive. My sleep was sweet and invigo- rating. Morning prayers and breakfast refreshed both soul and body. My horse was at the door, the words " farewell " and " God bless you," were on the tip of my tongue, when this venerable theological giant threw his piercing eye upon me and said, " Be seated ; I want you to read to me one of your sermons/' This was like a clap of thunder from a clear sky ; and from his tone and manner I knew there was no retreat. It so happened, however, that while I had a full supply of skeletons, I had with me but one sermon fully written out, and that was my trial sermon before Presbytery, on the subject of the Atonement. " That is the very one," said he, " I want to hear." As I read, he would occasionally throw in a kind and just criticism ; and at the close, he ex- claimed, "That will do," and walked straight to his bureau, selected two of his own sermons upon Eph. i. 10, Is. i. ]8, both written within that year, 1826. "There," said he, " please accept these, with many thanks for your sermon and your visit." I did accept them, gratefully, and keep them still as remarkable specimens of chirography, to say nothing of the .logical powers exhibited in their composition by this Nestor of one of the phases of New England theology. Written upon the large-sized sheets of letter-paper no in- terlineation not a crooked line not an undotted i, nor an AMERICAN REVIVALS. 13 uncrossed t all plain as the printed page ; and so carefully punctuated, that were they sent to the press as they are, the compositor would not find a word or point to alter. A beau- tiful type, thought I, of the character of his mind, and the perspicuity with which it perceived and unfolded divine truth. As a biblical scholar, sermoniser, and profound logical reasoner, he had few, if any, superiors ; yet as a successful preacher, to win souls and gather them into the fold of Christ, he was no more to be compared with such men as Kevins, Patterson, and Nettleton, than was Franklin's angler, exulting over "one glorious nibble" to be compared with the fishermen of Galilee, who, in obedience to their Lord, cast their net on " the right side of the ship, and drew it to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three." In a word, in passing from city to city, and from town to town, I aimed to see and hear whatever was calculated to move my heart, and make it better. My veneration for good and great men, dead or alive, amounted to a passion. Hence on my first visit to Portland, the standing in the pulpit and preaching where Payson preached, and to gaze upon the green sod that hid from my weeping eyes his clayey tabernacle, were to me scenes of tender and thrilling interest ; and when in North Hampton, to gaze upon the house of Edwards, and kneel at the grave of Brainerd ; or in Newburyport, to enter the vault where are deposited the ashes of Whitfield, open his coffin, and lay my hand upon the skull of that prince of preachers ; these these were the luxuries I indulged in, and for anything beyond these, in the way of recreation, I had neither taste nor time. Being at all times, and in all places, a learner, and at the same time holding myself in readiness to take the place of a teacher at any call of Providence, that call was sometimes so sudden as to make it a severe trial of my faith to obey. For example, when once in Philadelphia, Dr. Patterson's immense church was filled, on a Sabbath morning, to its utmost capacity, with people attracted from all parts of the city and country by the fame of the great Mr. Finney, who 14 TREASURED MOMENTS. was to have preached, but providentially prevented. The pastor was ill ; the hour of service had arrived, and no one to preach. I was sent for in haste ; my very heart seemed to leap into my mouth. I saw clearly God's finger in it, and did not dare to say no. When I ascended that pulpit, I saw in every look the chagrin and disappointment that filled every mind and vexed every soul. Oh, what a time, and what an occasion for lifting up one's heart to God ! For a stripling to face such an audience, whose very look showed how much they disdained him, was anything but gratifying to human pride. If ever I prayed, I prayed then ; if ever I lost confidence in the arm of flesh and leaned solely on God's arm, I did it then. Not the scrape of a pen had I with me, and felt perfectly assured that, if God did not help me, I must utterly fail. But God did help me, to rise superior to all the outward manifesta- tions and the inward misgivings. Never did I preach with more ease to myself ; never, apparently, with more power ; and to God be all the glory. Before that week ended I had the satisfaction of knowing that under that sermon more than one poor soul was brought low and humble at the foot of the cross, and found peace in believing in Christ. And I trust I shall be excused if I here mention, to the honour of my Master, a little incident connected with that day's sermon, which humbled me, and served ever afterwards to cheer and encourage me under similar trials. Rev. Dr. Wisner, of Boston, had arrived in Philadelphia the previous Saturday, and like other strangers anxious to hear Mr. Finney, was in that crowded assembly, though I knew it not. The following Monday he attended a meeting of the Philadelphia Presbytery, convened to consider a call which one of its members had received from a church in Boston. I was providentially present. Dr. Wisner recognising me, crossed the aisle into the pew where I was seated, and in a manner so kind and affectionate as to draw tears from my eyes, took my hand, pressed it warmly, and said, " I noticed your embarrassment yesterday morning, and felt deeply for you, and though AMERICAN REVIVALS. 15 partaking of the general disappointment, I did pray for you, and, as you are young and timid, I wish to say this for your encouragement : " I consider one of your illustrations yester- day, in showing the inexcusable guilt of the sinner before God, and the necessity of God's sovereign grace and power to save him, worth coming all the way from Boston to Philadelphia to hear, to know, and to remember" This, coming from such a man and such a divine as Dr. Wisner, so overpowered and crushed my heart that I with- drew myself, entered my chamber, humbled myself before God, and wept bitterly to think I should have so distrusted him and manifested such a cowardly, man-fearing spirit. But that providence was greatly blessed to me, as was also other providences very dissimilar criticisms which were anything but flattering, and served to keep me humble. The previous summer I was, for a little season, resting at Saratoga Springs ; was invited to preach. Among the audi- tors were Joseph Bonaparte, ex-King of Spain, his daughter, with other members of his family, and friends. My subject was " The Folly and Madness of Sinners" founded upon the text, " How long halt ye between two opinions ? If the Lord be God, serve him." The place and the circumstances in which so much folly was daily seen might have served, perhaps, to give peculiar poignancy to the truth. Be that as it may, Bonaparte, on his way home, was overheard, in exclaim- ing to his family and friends, rather angrily, " Well, you see, by going there this evening we have got nothing but a tremendous threshing" Such remarks set me to thinking. I reflected much and seriously upon my manner of presenting God's revealed truth. Did I speak the truth in love ? Might not my manner and language be so changed, or modified, as more beautifully to harmonise with the spirit of the gospel, which is the very essence of love " good news" " glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" ? I strove hard for the mastery over a natural disposition, which I discovered in myself, of severity against sin and sinners, and I think the 16 TREASURED MOMENTS. victory partially won. Thus preaching and hearing, and coming in contact with all classes and descriptions of men, and the practical workings of truth upon the heart, I was daily learning what I might never have learned had I settled at once over a church in some obscure neighbourhood, or even in a populous city. But seeking, as I did, to throw myself into places where the Holy Spirit was at work in convincing and converting sinners, often in the prayer-meetings and among the anxious, weeping with those that wept, and rejoicing with those that rejoiced, I discovered that the warm impulses of my young heart were becoming too much like the waters of a swollen stream, liable to overflow its banks. I preached and prayed as if I would take heaven by violence, and I appeared to myself, as well as to others, to be .bearing constantly upon my heart the weight and responsibility of thousands of anxious souls, for whom I must give an account to God. In view of my impaired health, and the importance of preserving a proper balance between the impulses of the heart and a sound judgment, and a well- disciplined discriminating mind, I resolved to suspend for a while my work as a teacher, and once more resume my place as a scholar solely. For this purpose I turned aside, and sheltered myself within the walls of Andover Seminary. But oh, what a change from a field of active, heart-moving, and soul-stirring labours into a little room ten by twelve, the very ceiling and walls of which seemed intellectual, full of eyes and theological diagrams ! Cold enough almost to take away one's breath. The first contact with students was like the touch of a corpse, their conversation exact as geometrical figures, they seemed even to pray upon a straight line, as if aware of being watched, to see if they could toe the mark with their eyes shut. All intellect and no soul ! Really, thought I, this is a leap from the tropics to the polar snows ; from a burning ship to the summit of an iceberg. These first impressions, however, gradually yielded to more correct and favourable views, though for days I seemed like a miner in AMERICAN REVIVALS. 17 the trenches, pecking his way through one artificial barrier after another, to get at the magazine. But I found, to my joy, that magazines were here, and that they could be reached, taking one by one ; a short prayer, a word fitly spoken, a startling fact of some new-born soul, was like striking a rich vein, the heart leaped out. The fact is, in all seminaries of learning, it is the tyranny of the intellect over the soul, over all its finer sensibilities and sympathies. The heart is kept a prisoner, and if ever allowed to show itself, it is only by look- ing through its prison gates, or oozing out through the tiny artificial tubes which its despotic master occasionally permits. And never, never, till the student enters "the wide, wide world," and begins to deal with hearts, is he able to disinthral the captive, and restore the soul to its proper supremacy. Then, not till then, will the warm sympathies of the soul, like the swollen Mississippi, gush forth, sweeping into oblivion all the artificial barriers that have been thrown around it. With such reflections I was able to make the allowance, and to see more clearly than ever how important to take into considera- tion all the circumstances in which men are placed, before passing a hasty judgment. I further reflected upon my own peculiar state of mind and feelings, and finally came, as I thought, to the very logical conclusion, " that a man who had been labouring under the scorching heat of a tropical sun, with an intermittent fever, may not be the safest judge of the changes in the state and temperature of the atmosphere, and should the mercury chance to fall suddenly, from 110 down to 60, he will be very likely to think it has gone down to zero. The ice once broken, I drank, and was refreshed, and soon felt that it was good to be there. I listened with intense delight and, I trust, profit to the lectures of Professors Wood, Stewart, Porter, and others, who now " rest from their labours, and their works do follow them." This was in the autumn of 1826. It was my purpose to remain a year in this school of the prophets ; but the Lord purposed otherwise. " It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps : " man proposes ; God B 18 TREASURED MOMENTS. disposes. In the ensuing winter it pleased God to visit the city of Portsmouth, N. H., with a remarkable outpouring of his Holy Spirit a revival which extended to the adjacent towns of Dover, Rye, Newington, and others. The worn-out pastors of those churches wrote to the professors of this seminary for assistance ; the lot fell, of course, upon the irregular student, who had joined no class, had not entered the seminary through the regular door, but climbed up some other way ; and having also some experience in revivals, the voice was unanimous, that the finger of God pointed to me, and his providence loudly proclaimed, " Thou art the man" Being a child of providence from my birth, I inwardly exclaimed, " What was I, that I could withstand God ? " And, however strong my inclination to remain, I walked softly to my room, committed myself once more to the guidance of Him, who had never forsaken me in the darkest hour, packed my trunk, and in the midst of one of the most terrific snow- storms entered a stage-coach for Portsmouth, not knowing the things that should befall me there. LETTER III. A GREAT REVIVAL. MY DEAR FRIEND, After being whirled through a drifting snow-storm for ten hours, I reached Portsmouth just in time to be told, that their faithful pastor, Dr. Putman, was absent ; that an appointment for preaching had been made for that evening, for whomsoever the Lord might send from Andover ; and that the hour of service had arrived ; that the people were gathering, and there was no time to be lost in repairing to the house of God. I had never been in that city before. I followed the multitude to the church, but oh, what a church ! Rightly had it been termed the "minister's slaughter-house," from the wear and tear of lungs in attempting to fill it. The first glance of my eye was to that Satanic pinnacle, upon which I was to be placed, to address that vast assembly. I say Satanic, for who but the enemy of souls could ever have suggested the idea of placing God's ambassadors at such a distance from his auditors ? Need he ascend into heaven to bring Christ down from above ? The first thought was to take my stand on the floor before the pulpit, but another glance of the eye showed me one gallery towering above another, and that people were actually flocking into the third region. No alternative was left but to wend my way up the pulpit-stairs ; but for every step upward, my heart sunk two backward. From this pulpit I surveyed the audience. What a change, thought I, a few hours have produced ! The dawn B 2 20 TREASURED MOMENTS. of day found me in a quiet room, breathing an intellectual atmosphere, surrounded by men whose faces were all set Zion-ward ; now, before this vast, promiscuous assembly, some walking one way and some another ; some halting between two opinions ; believers and unbelievers ; the broken-hearted and the hard-hearted ; the anxious, trembling sinner, and the scoffing infidel ! Oh, how can I, a perfect stranger, address them ? Who is sufficient for these things ? I selected two rather lengthy hymns, to afford me the more time for collecting my thoughts, and in trying to calm down and reconcile my feelings to this new and extraordinary position of being at such a distance, and such a height, as to be cut off from all sympathy with my hearers. I selected for my text these words, " Choose ye this day whom ye will serve." I had hardly opened my subject before I felt quite at home, not- withstanding the elevation to which I had to raise my voice in order to be heard. And there was something, too, in the very atmosphere that assured me God was of a truth in that place ; not in his ordinary providence only, but in the power of the Holy Ghost moving upon the great deep of hearts quickening the conscience enlightening the understanding- taking of the things of Christ, and showing them to sinners. The fixed attention the death-like silence the steady, anxious look and the frequent application of the handker- chief to the eyes all bespoke the presence and power of Him, who is the resurrection and the life. At the close of the service, I invited all those who wished to converse with me personally on the subject of their souls' salvation, to retire at once to their pastor's house ; and let all Christians go to their homes, and retire to their closets. The scene that ensued was a very tender and melting one ; room after room became filled ; a few praying Christians accompanied their anxious relations and friends. All was quiet and solemn as the house of mourning; but the feeling was deep, and, in some instances, of intense agony. No pen can describe such a meeting. I conversed with each one separately, giving a few words of AMERICAN REVIVALS. 21 counsel as I thought suited to each individual case ; and, before offering prayer, made a short address, with some general remarks and advice suited to all, as God gave me utterance. And though more than thirty years have passed since that memorable night, the spirit of that meeting, the tone, manner, and even language of that address, are all as fresh in my mind, and as deeply engraven upon the tablet of my heart, as if the scene had transpired but yesterday, owing probably to the fact, that it was the first meeting of the kind I had ever conducted without having the pastor present to guide, sanction, and share the responsibilities. From this hour I found myself once more afloat upon a flood-tide, over which I had no control, and borne upon its wave to such a distance, that I was never able more to reach the harbour, or moor my mortal bark again in the quiet haven of Andover. Greek verbs, Hebrew roots, and theological technicalities, all lost their interest amid the more tender soul-stirring scenes of guiding anxious sinners to the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world. Through the winter, I laboured in Portsmouth and other adjacent towns referred to in my last. The snow was unusually deep, and often so drifted that a horse could not be used ; and to meet my appointments, I took a little valise in my hand, pushed my way through drifts, over fences, and across fields ; preaching in churches, in school-houses, in private dwellings, yea in all places and at all times, where and when the people could be assembled ; and never was I disappointed in having an audience. So eager were the people to hear, so intent upon " the one thing needful." Ah, it is easy for a minister to speak, when God speaks through him ; easy to gain the ear, when the voice of the Lord is heard ; easy to pour truth into the understanding, when the Holy Spirit illumines it ; easy even to enter the heart, if the Lord has opened it. Is it not, then, a fair logical inference, that if ministers of the gospel were to spend more time on their knees in humble prayer to God for the influences of his Holy Spirit, the fruits of their 22 TREASURED MOMENTS. preaching might be increased "some ten, some sixty, and some an hundredfold "? Of those dear, worn-out brethren, with whom it was my privilege to labour that winter, I will not take time to speak, except just to say, that they will ever retain a warm place in my affections. Indeed, with one exception, they have all gone to their reward, and " their works do follow them." It may not be amiss, however, nor can it be any disparage- ment to the pastors of those churches, to state a fact or two, as a just tribute to the memory of one whose name, as con- nected with this revival, all delighted to honour. Rev. Henry Smith, fresh from the great revivals in western New York, being on a visit to his relatives in this part of his native State, was the acknowledged instrument in God's hand of awakening Christians to a spirit of self-examination and prayer for this glorious work ; and none acquainted with his Christian character, his faithfulness, and the zeal and fervency with which he strove with sinners, to become reconciled to God, and the agonising, heart-moving prayers he offered up for them, can doubt for a moment, that many souls from this revival will be found in his crown of rejoicing, when God comes to make up his jewels. For one, I shall never cease to be grateful to God, that my heart was ever brought so closely in contact with his. Though not intellectually great, in spiritual gifts and graces he had few equals, and perhaps no superior. His name may never figure in history, but it will have no mean place in the records on high. Though in the prime and vigour of life, and in his usual health, it was apparent, at least to myself, that he breathed too much the spirit of heaven, to be allowed long to labour on earth. Early that spring he left Portsmouth, returning to his family and charge in the w r est. The ensuing summer I was travelling from Albany to Buffalo, and must needs pass through Rome near to which this holy man resided. My heart yearned for one more precious season of sweet converse and communion with him. In haste though I was, I could AMERICAN REVIVALS. 23 not pass him by, and in a few hours, I was bowing with him around his own family altar. It was good to be there. The following morning after breakfast, he invited me to a walk. In coming to a sweet retired spot in a grove, a spot evidently sacred and familiar to him, we sat down upon a shelving rock, his heart glowing with a heavenly flame ; and as we reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment, and talked of God's work in the recent revival of the great salvation, the value of the soul and its redemption "which ceaseth for ever," he drew from his pocket a little Bible, opened it, and read a few of those sparkling gems and brilliants that glitter upon every page of that holy book, and then in a tone and with an expression I shall never forget, said " Our next meeting will probably be before the great white throne ; it is fit and proper that we spend our last hour together in prayer and converse with Him who is seated upon it ; will you please, pray? and I will follow." And such a prayer as he made, such wrestling, such a holy importunity I never heard from mortal lips. I thought of the " garden, the tears, and the sweat;" I thought of "Bethel, the ladder, and the angels ;" I thought of " Peniel ;" I thought of heaven. In retiring from this " Beulah," we parted. I continued my journey, hearing nothing more from this loved brother, till some weeks after, on taking up a morning paper, among the first things that met my eye was " that the Rev. Henry Smith had departed this life, &c." " He was not, for God took him." "One shall be taken, and another left." But why the Lord should take from this world such a ser- vant in the prime of life one so pre-eminently qualified for usefulness and leave another so inferior to labour and struggle on, is among the unsolved mysteries of his provi- dence ; and all we can say is, " Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight." LETTER IV. SPECIMENS OF ITS FRUITS. MY DEAR FRIEND, To speak of the fruits of that glorious revival would extend these letters beyond their proposed limits. Pages might be filled with little incidents and re- miniscences that have been from time to time passing in review before me, showing how blessed it is " to sow beside all waters." The following will serve as samples ; " In the spring of 1840, having attended the anniversary meetings in Boston, and being rather overworked from the fact that I had just arrived from my field of labour in France, I took a train for New Hampshire, to seek a few days of quiet rest. A young gentleman entered the same car, and seizing my hand said, " I am so glad to see you I" I have seen and heard you at the Boston meetings, but could not get near you. Do you remember entering a field in the town of L., some fourteen years ago, to talk with a young man about his soul, and the importance of giving himself soul and body to Christ, and go and prepare to preach the gospel ?" In giving him an affirmative answer, he continued " I am that young man, and we shall soon be in sight of the village where I am settled. There .'" said he, as he pointed to a beautiful new building with its spire pointing heavenward, " / am pastor of that church." The train stopped, he grasped my hand once more to say " good-bye, ," I had only time to respond, "God bless you, my brother." AMERICAN REVIVALS. 25 When, some fifteen years later, in one of the cities of New "England, I entered an hotel, registered my name, stepped in the reading-room, and while looking over the papers, in came a young gentleman of pleasing address, reached me his hand, saying, "I think, from your name on the book, you must be the minister who laboured in the great revival in Portsmouth and Rye in the winter of 1826-7 ; and if so, you are my spiritual father." On assuring him he was not mistaken in the person, he continued "You will recollect, no doubt, preaching a funeral sermon at a private house in the town of Rye, and that the crowd was so great, you stood upon a bench to speak ; and in describing the falling of the clods upon the coffin, you raised your hand to the ceiling, and with your fingers rattling against it, so exactly depicted to the mind the falling of gravel upon the lid of a coffin, as to startle the audience. That was the moment when an arrow was sent to my heart. I seemed to see my own grave, and my own coffin in it, and to hear the earth falling upon it. I cried out within me 'Where is my soul?' nor had I from that hour a moment's peace, till I found it in Christ And now," added he, as he led me to a window overlooking a place of worship, " I am rector of that church, where it is my privilege to preach to others the same glorious gospel." I gave him my right hand, warmly and heartily ; yes ! " the right hand of fellowship/' praying God to bless him, notwith- standing he called himself a "rector" instead of a pastor. But, my dear friend, it is quite time to bring to a close this part of my narrative, and in doing so, will briefly allude to a few things 'of general interest, which to some may be con- sidered worth remembering. Bear in mind that I was a learner, and that in all my travels over the country, my exten- sive intercourse and acquaintance with ministers of the gospel, and men of all professions, grades, and employments, I was careful to note down certain peculiarities of great and good men which influenced them in all they did, and which have deeply affected my own mind and acts through all my public life, 26 TREASURED MOMENTS. and may perhaps, if here recorded, affect the hearts and lives of others. 1. That the most eminent preachers and successful pastors, .of all whom I have known, are emphatically " MEN OF PRAYER/' who spend much time on their knees over their sermons ; and that an evangelist, travelling and preaching through the country, whatever may be his powers to excite the mind, or draw crowds in his train, will prove a blessing only, and in the degree, as he proves himself to be pre- eminently A MAN OF PRAYER. We have met with those whom the world calls "great preachers/' who flare up and blaze out like a meteor on extraordinary occasions, whose prayers may have been, "like angels' visits, few and far between ; " but these are not the eminent men of the Church, by no means. " The salt of the earth/' " the light of the world/' is to be found in the lives and labours of those, whose study is a " little sanctuary," " a Bethel/' " a Peniel," and whose very atmosphere has in it something of the fragrance of heaven. Call on such pastors, and they seem always in tune always ready for a little season of prayer ; for they " pray without ceasing," and, with all the simplicity of a little child, they fall upon their knees, asking you to lead or to follow, as the case may be ; and you see at once that it is not a mere form, or a sanctimonious pretence, but the deep yearnings of the heart after Christ, and for a more perfect transformation into his glorious likeness. With such pastors, the name of Christ is above every name, and his kingdom ruleth over all their thoughts, words, and acts. The heart being full, out of its abundance the mouth speaketh. If, through necessity, their conversation be diverted for a moment to a secular subject, no sooner has that necessity passed, than, true as the needle to the pole, does it revert back to their loved theme Christ and his great salvation. 2. Another peculiarity I noted was, that they abounded in charity that charity " which thinketh no evil," and is not "easily provoked" in taking up an evil report against a .AMERICAN REVIVALS. 27 brother ; and this beautiful trait of character became the more impressive, as it was often presented to iny view in specific cases, and by marked and striking contrasts. For example : A young man starts up from obscurity, somewhere on the outskirts of Zion, who is evidently " a man of God," a chosen " vessel of mercy," to bear the gospel to thousands ready to perish. He is endowed with extraordinary gifts and talents, and full of faith and prayer. Crowds flock to hear him, and there is joy on earth, and in the presence of the angels, over sinners repenting and turning to God. But, un- fortunately, he is not perfect, but possesses all the infirmities of our fallen nature. Some oddities and eccentricities have been discovered by the fastidious hearer. His Christian ex- perience has been quite limited. His researches after truth have scarcely extended beyond the Bible. Of what Calvin, Luther, or Wesley taught, he knows but little ; hence some of his crude opinions and original sayings do not square exactly with some of the scholastic dogmas of the day. Nor has he learned to pronounce the " Shibboleth " of any party, whether of " Paul or Apollos." He has learned the story of the cross at the feet of his Master. Hence he knows nothing, and cares for nothing among men, " save Jesus Christ and him crucified/' His burning zeal and ardour to save souls render him dead to the world, and indifferent to the opinions of men. Now mark the line of division among pastors and ministers, as they gradually divide off, taking their stand, as the warm friends, or the bitter opponents, of this " Boanerges." The staid, dignified pastor, oftener seen in the hall of science than in the prayer-meeting ; better known as a literai-y than as a praying man, and who would rather row one soul into heaven upon his own little narrow craft, through a smooth unruffled sea, than to be instrumental in saving the whole " two hundred threescore and sixteen souls " from Paul's wreck, if so be they were to be saved in that irregular, unsailor-like manner of swimming through the breakers, " some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship." 28 TREASUKED MOMENTS. Such a pastor stands aloof; he will not know this young man, nor recognise him as a minister ; but takes his pen, and without ever seeing or hearing him, writes and publishes all the vague rumours and evil reports he can lay his hand upon, in order to put him down. A few young, ambitious pastors, too, perhaps a little jealous in having the wind taken out of their sails, follow in the wake. While those pastors who have laid themselves " as a whole burnt offering upon God's altar," who remember and love Zion above their chief joy, whose daily cry is, " O Lord, send by whom thou wilt send," in a word, men of prayer, full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, abounding in that charity " that hopeth and belie veth all things," such pastors say one to another, " Let us see and know this young man, talk and pray with him ; for that many notable conversions have taken place under his ministry, we cannot deny. Let us not be found fighting against God." A few meetings of sweet and faithful converse and prayer between them, and their hearts beat in unison ; the oddities and eccentricities of " Timothy " gradually disappear under the kind teachings of the more experienced Pauls and Peters, while their own hearts are warmed into a holier and purer zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of men. In this way we may all be mutually instructed, and may rejoice together "in the diversity of gifts" which God has bestowed upon his servants, and which he is pleased to employ in building up the waste places of Zion. If a Finney cannot fill the pulpit of a Wilson or a Barnes, no more can they do the work which God has allotted to him. Ought we not to love all the members of Christ's body ? And, though not of equal honour, can the head say to the feet, " I have no need of thee " ? " If they were all one member, where were the body ? " May not the prolific source of that narrow-minded bigotry so prevalent among Christians, and which so mars the beauty and symmetry of Christ's body, be traced to the un- willingness, and often the absolute refusal, to know and recog- nise each other as members of the same body, mutually AMEKFCAN REVIVALS. 29 dependent and necessary to each other? The eye says to the ear, " I have no need of thee." The ear retaliates, " I have no need of thee." The pride of both are wounded. One shuts his eyes the other stops his ears ; and here a quarrel begins which drives them farther and farther apart ; crimina- tion and recrimination follow condemning each other before their hearts have ever been brought in close contact. Real Christians can never be known, or know each other, till the heart is reached. Once in the citadel, we see what grace has done ; and, however uncouth the exterior, we ' love what we there find, and rejoice and praise God for that new creation that inner temple, prepared as the dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit. Another peculiar chai-acteristic of these most eminent pastors and evangelists, which I remarked as worthy of note, was, that in great and extraordinary revivals, where the spirit and power of God were too clearly manifested in the conver- sion of sinners for even the sceptic to remain undisturbed, there was the greater disposition to speak low, to move about in a quite, noiseless manner to avoid everything that could cause confusion, or divert the mind, as if afraid of grieving the Spirit, or of giving an unhandy touch to the ark of God. They walked softly before the Lord, as if in view of the " burning bush ;" and their whole tone and manner in the house of God seemed to say, " How dreadful is this place ! " And if they discovered any tendency in their congregations towards undue excitement or noise, they would often take such subjects as the following : " What doest thou here, Elijah ? ... Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord ; btit the Lord was not in the wind : and after the wind an earthquake ; but the Lord was not in the earthquake : and after the earthquake a fire ; but the Lord was not in the fire : and after the fire a still small voice." Ah, with what beauty and power have I 30 TREASURED MOMENTS. heard the sainted Nettleton unfold the truth on the subject of God's work of grace upon the heart, as it lies wrapped up in this passage ! In concluding this part of my personal experience, I would take the liberty of suggesting to all young ministers, and even strongly advising them, to acquaint themselves a little more with the world, by personal observation, before settling down as a pastor, to assume the tremendous responsibilities connected with that office. Enter that practical school, where you can act the pupil and the missionary; where your mind will be daily coming in contact with greater and more experi- enced minds ; and where, in one year, you may acquire more practical knowledge than in a lifetime over an obscure church. And should any brother be disposed to think lightly of this advice, from the poor specimen furnished by the adviser him- self, with all humility will I receive the just retort, only asking that brother to tell me, if he can, how much poorer a specimen the adviser might have beenj had he never enjoyed these advantages. 31 LETTER V. RETIRING FROM THIS NEW SCHOOL. MY DEAR FRIEND, As the term of studies in this itinerant school was drawing near its close, I once more bade adieu to my dear native New England, her beautiful villages, churches, schools, and quiet Sabbaths ; her granite hills and smiling valleys gradually disappearing in the dim distance, as I again turned my face westward and southward, passing through New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washing- ton city, revisiting the churches, taking leave of dear bre- thren and Christian friends whom I loved, and with whom I so long enjoyed the sweetest intercourse ; then through Virginia, sitting once more at the feet of such fathers in Israel as Drs. Rice, Hill, Baxter, and others ; thence into Tennessee, where for two weeks I rested under the roof of that revered, loved father, Dr. Anderson, near whom I had intended to fix my habitation, had it been God's will. While in his family, however, there arrived students from Kentucky, to enter the seminary ; giving such an account of the recent revivals in their State, and of the great want of labourers, that, though my heart clung to East Tennessee, as the Switzerland of America, and to my many well-tried friends there, I could not resist the temptation of entering once more the wide, wide world, especially as a field so white to the harvest now pre- sented itself. Purchasing a fresh horse, and crossing the Cumberland Mountains, within ten days I lighted down in the 32 TREASURED MOMENTS. beautiful city of Lexington, the very centre of the " garden spot of the world," as it then appeared to my ravished eyes. This was in the autumn of 1828. Never, never, had I beheld such soil, so rich, so undulating and beautiful ; such wood- lands, grass-plats, and deer-parks, as might have tempted even an English nobleman to break the tenth commandment. But all this beauty of scenery and magnificence of wealth sunk into insignificance before the moral beauty and glory, that God had wrought in so many hearts and families throughout the State. During the winter I preached in many churches and towns, and assisted broken-down pastors, forming the acquaintance of most of the ministers of the State, among whom was the Rev. D. Nelson, author of " The Cause and Cure of Infidelity," acknowledged by all to be one of the chief instruments in this revival. It was my privilege, and one for which I shall never cease to be grateful, to have my heart brought into very close intimacy and sweet commu- nion with his. We laboured much together ; travelled into Tennessee together ; prayed much together, not in the pulpit only, but at the family altar, in the study, the closet, the grove. And after years of more than fraternal intercourse, I do not hesitate to record here, as my firm and settled convic- tion, that, whether viewed in the light of a simple-hearted Christian man, full of faith and prayer, moving in the humble walks of life, or as a public speaker, with his towering intel- lect, the amazing reach and grasp of his mind, and the tremendous power of his unstudied and unconscious eloquence, by which he held his audience in breathless silence, DR. DAVID NELSON was the most extraordinary man that ever graced the .American pulpit; and that some of his sermons, in point of originality of construction, and the condensation of startling, massive thought, have never had a parallel out of the Bible. His language so simple and natural, his style sententious, and his sentences so short and artlessly formed, that the plain unlettered farmer had no more difficulty in understanding him, than the sage or the philosopher; and, AMERICAN REVIVALS. 33 perhaps, no language can convey a more correct idea of his preaching, as contrasted with most other men, than that used by one of these plain farmers, who, on being asked which of the two preachers he liked best, Dr. Nelson or Dr. R ? " Oh," said he, " Dr. R is good at splitting hairs, but Dr. Nelson hurls millstones ; he is my preacher." Exactly so ; while other preachers would be holding their auditors for an hour upon the point of a cambric needle, on some mooted point in theology, or entering into a most elaborate argument, to prove that Gideon's pitchers were made of porcelain, Dr. Nelson, with his millstones, would "chase a thousand, and put ten thousand to flight." This wonderful man was an eminent physician and a scoffing infidel before his conversion, but, like another Paul, the moment God touched his heart, he gave up everything for Christ, and became one of the most self-sacrificing, transparent characters I ever knew ; yet was not without his weak points. The kindness of his heart, and his unbounded benevolence, often got the better of his judgment, even to the impoverishing of his family, and the uncomeliness and scarcely decent appearance of his person. If a friend gave him a five-dollar bill to buy him a beaver, he would purchase a wool hat for fifty cents, that he might enjoy the luxury of giving the four dollars and a half to some benevolent object, or, perhaps, to a poor widow. This was certainly erring on the safe side, and if this was his besetting sin, it surely was not a common one ; so that he was as peculiar and extraordinary in his sins, as he was in his gifts and graces. That he is now wearing a bright crown, and very near the throne, I have not a doubt. After preaching nearly a year in different parts of the State, I accepted a call to the first, at that time the only Presbyterian church in the city of Louisville ; its pastor, Dr. Blackburn, having been appointed president of Danville College. The change from an itinerant pupil, to the pastorate of a large church in a growing city, and as successor to such a man, I felt to be a great one. I had, also, imbibed the idea c 34 TREASURED MOMENTS. so prevalent in Boston and other large towns in New Eng- land, that churches planted in a growing city should colonise as rapidly as their strength and numbers would authorise. Instead, therefore, of becoming installed over this first church as its pastor, I preached only some eight months, just long enough to learn her strength, and to survey the ground for starting a new enterprise. Then with twelve members, four males and eight females, we organised on the 17th of April, 1830, the Second Presbyterian Church of Louisville. The importance of this step soon became apparent to all. The First Church called immediately another pastor, thus strengthening our hands, and adding greatly to the efficiency and power of Christian effort throughout the city. We both found an ample field, and mutually rejoiced in the success with which* it pleased God to crown our labours. Instead of weakening, the First Church increased in strength and vigour, while our little band of twelve soon became a host. Instead of a school- house, in which we began to worship, the Lord enabled us, within three years, to build a commodious brick church, with a regular congregation of hearers, from seven to eight hun- dred, and increasing the church members from twelve to a hundred and sixty, with week-day schools for little children, and Sabbath schools, so prosperous and vigorous, as to attract the attention even of the passing stranger, and excited the admiration of all good people in the city. But as "American "Revivals" is the subject, above all others, your ladyship wishes to hear about and to understand, I will, in my next letter, give a brief sketch of one of those remarkable seasons "of refreshing from the presence of the Lord," with which it pleased God to visit this infant church, which lengthened her cords, and strengthened her stakes, adding immensely to her moral power and influence for in that rapidly growing city. 35 LETTER VI. REVIVAL IN SECOND CHURCH, LOUISVILLE. MY DEAR FRIEND, The summer of 1833 was noted in the city of Louisville as one of more than usual activity in every department of human enterprise. The opening of a canal around the " Falls," the rush of commerce, the rapid expan- sion and growth of the city, with all their collaterals, absorbed and engrossed to an alarming degree the mind and energies of the church, without manifesting itself, however, in any open violation of Christian principles, or the neglect of Chris- tian duties. The house of God was crowded, as usual, on the Sabbath, and prayer-meetings were attended ; and yet it was but too apparent that the spirit of the world, and not the Spirit of God, had possession of the inner man. Their daily walk and conversation were not as in former days, their prayers cold and formal ; the spirit of humble devotion and earnest prayer seemed to have nearly died out, and the only song we could sing, or which seemed befitting us in our low spiritual condition, was that prayer expressed by the poet, " Dear Lord, and shall we ever lire At this poor dying rate ? Our love so faint, so cold to Thee, And Thine to us so great !" In the ensuing autumn, I commenced a course of weekly evening lectures, adapted, as I thought, to this state of the church ; and, finally, in my Sabbath discourses began to give c 2 36 TREASURED MOMENTS. more directness and point, touching the dangers of a worldly spirit and the love of mammon, which seemed then gnawing at our vitals, as a Christian church ; the most subtle and deadly foe that Satan ever brought to his aid, in opposing the progress of Christ's kingdom ; my own mind becoming more and more deeply affected every day by this state of things, till the burden so pressed upon my heart, as to become almost insup- portable. As a severe winter set in, an all- wise Providence so ordered it, that my family, then on a visit to St. Louis, should become icebound, shut up in that city for the winter, leaving me the sole occupant of my house. Thus, perfectly free from all domestic cares, and taking my meals among my parishioners, I entered into a solemn covenant with God, that if HE would be my helper, I would know nothing among my people, save " Jesus Christ, and him crucified ;" and into what- soever family I entered to break bread, or to pay a pastoral visit, I would allow no subject to take possession of my heart, and no language to proceed out of my mouth, that were not in accordance with such a covenant. The searching and probing of the hearts of God's people, by the aid of his word and Spirit, the warning of the impenitent, the instructing of the children, endeavouring to lead them gently into Christ's fold, became my daily employment ; and a delightful one I found it to be. All fear of man vanished. I could warn the wicked in the streets, enter the vilest dens of pollution, and pour the thunders of God's holy, violated law into the asto- nished ears of the most abandoned, and then point them to the cross and to the blood of a crucified Saviour, with the same ease, and with as little fear, as I could enter a prayer-meeting. The world, with its fashions and maxims, was perfectly out of view. I appeared to myself as one encased in a kind of impregnable lattice-work, shut up with Christ ; and while the people were all visible to me, and in reach of my warning voice, I was secure from their rage and malice, because " see- ing Him," and walking with " Him," who is invisible ; and that it was not I that spake, but Christ speaking by rne. In this AMERICAN REVIVALS. 37 state of mind I walked the streets of Louisville, calling upon families, visiting the abodes of wretchedness, entering gam- bling and drinking-saloons ; then returned to my untenanted house ; and though no human smile was there to greet me, no human voice to salute me, it seemed vocal with God's praises. My study became a Bethel, luminous even in the night watches, which, like David, " my eyes prevented ;" for the dawn of day often found me on my knees. The fruits of these ministrations soon became apparent in families, in the public services of God's house, and more especially in the prayer-meetings, which were often held at private houses, and at the close of which, it not unfrequently occurred, that such was the exhaustion of my strength, from the excess of labours through the day, and in that peculiar state of mind, that friends were obliged to lead me home to their own dwellings and nurse me through the night, that I might acquire strength for the morrow. Thus things went on to the close of the year. The first Sabbath of 1834 was one never to be forgotten by those in attendance upon the worship of God in that Second Church. The day was most propitious all sunshine ; everything as calm and clear as a " sea of glass," as if heaven and earth had met for the first time, to embrace and kiss each other. I repaired early to the church, took my seat in the pulpit, so low that, with the gentle slope of the floor towards the pulpit, I had a perfect view of every countenance, as they entered either of the three front doors. Never did the house of God appear so transcendently beautiful the fit dwelling-place of the Most High ! yet, withal, so fearfully solemn. " How dreadful is this place ! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven," was the deep feeling of my heart as I took my seat. Never had God appeared so sensibly near, I may almost say, visible. So ethereal and transparent seemed the very atmosphere, that the least shade of difference in the counte- nances of those entering the house seemed to stand out in 38 TREASURED MOMENTS. such bold relief that I could read their very hearts. The elders, and such members as had been in attendance upon the weekly prayer-meetings, and were beginning to " awake out of sleep," seemed to participate, more or less, in the awe, the deep sense of the Divine presence, and those indescribable yearnings that pervaded my own breast. But as I beheld the stranger, or the thoughtless, sauntering into the house, with a careless, indifferent look, oh, how it pierced my heart ! They seemed like so many maniacs trifling with eternal realities, under the eye and in the presence of God, and dancing on the very brink of hell ; and if by chance a nod of the head, or a smile of recognition from one friend to another, caught my eye, it was as if they laughed right in God's face. For the sermon, I had selected as the subject, " THE BARREN FIG-TREE ; " addressing myself first, and principally, to the members of the church. No extracts that I might give could convey the least idea of the sermon ; simple in its language, direct and pointed in its aim, delivered not in a loud, boisterous tone or manner, but with deep feeling, and in all the tender- ness and pathos of a broken and crushed heart. The effect was indescribable. I think I am safe in saying there was not a dry eye, an indifferent look, or an unfeeling heart in the assembly. It was a place of " WEEPING," and the house was a "BoCHlM" (Judges ii. 5). In drawing my sermon to a close, it flashed upon my mind, with the conviction of a revela- tion, that this church ought to renew her covenant with God, and publicly acknowledge and confess to God, and to one another, their backslidings, and worldly-mindedness, and short- comings in duty ; and at this very time and place to take upon themselves new obligations, and pay their vows unto the Lord, solemnly promising, if he would not cut them down, but " let them alone this year," they would, by the help of his grace and Spirit, bring forth the fruits of an active, holy life. No sooner was this conviction wrought upon my mind, than I acted upon it, and called upon the elders and every member of the church who felt determined to strive for higher attain- AMERICAN REVIVALS. 39 merits in the divine life, and to enter upon more active, self- denying, self-sacrificing efforts for the salvation of souls ; in a word, all who had made up their minds to continue no longer as " barren fig-trees " in the Lord's vineyard, to come forth from their pews, take their stand before the pulpit, and along the different aisles, while I would propound to them the solemn questions involved in their covenant vows.* I paused, when some hundred and fifty members, with the half-dozen elders, were seen slowly rising from their seats, and with streaming eyes, coming out of their pews from all parts of the house ; parents separating from their children, and children leaving their parents ; husbands from wives, and wives from husbands ; brothers leaving behind them their sisters, and sisters their brothers. One male member only remained in his pew, weeping and trembling with emotion, as he said afterwards, " too much overpowered to move." A more impressive sight I never witnessed. The scenes of the future judgment seemed passing in review before me. For some fifteen minutes I addressed them in the tenderest language and manner, reminding them of their " first love," their first joys of pardoned sin, the bright hopes they entertained " when first they knew the Lord ; " then held up the types and figures in the New Testament, by which their Divine Master, when on earth, symbolised them : " Ye are the salt of the earth, the light of the world, &c." I then propounded a few questions, giving shape and distinctness to the solemn vows they were now taking upon them, to which they assented by a gentle move of the head forward. I observed, too, that individuals who previously had not been upon the most friendly terms, were now seeking to grasp and press each other's hands, whispering, " Forgive me ! forgive me !" each acknowledging his own sins " con- * This is the mode very generally adopted in the United States among evangelical churches, of receiving new members to their communion ; and in seasons of great revivals, it is no uncommon sight to see the aisles quite filled with young converts on making a public profession of their faith. 40 ' TREASURED MOMENTS. fessing one to another," and esteeming "others better than themselves/' All hearts seemed melted under the power of divine love. On resuming their seats, and seeing how deeply the whole congregation were moved, I proposed to the impenitent, the non-professors, that if there were any among them so impressed with the solemnities of the present hour, that they were no longer willing to conceal their feelings, or any who had made resolutions to begin a new life on this first Sabbath of a new year, and desired the counsels and prayers of God's people, they might come forward and receive a few words of instruction ; and by so doing, these penitent, weeping Christians would know whom to make the subjects of special prayer. One arose, then another ; then in all parts of the house they were seen leaving their pews coming forward, trembling and weeping. Every Christian was now seen to move his handkerchief from his own eyes, just to see who were among them ; the mother hoping to see her giddy daughter ; the wife, her prayerless husband. Some were filled with joy and hope ; others were disappointed, and filled with grief and sorrow. I addressed to this company very few words, pointing them to Christ, whose blood alone cleanseth from all sin ; reminded them of the fearful crisis of the present moment, the solemn and critical ground on which they had voluntarily placed themselves by this public manifestation of their feelings, and which might prove the pivot on which would turn their eternal destiny. Then turning once more to the Christians, I said, " Remember now the prayer and pledge of David ' Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit ; then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto tliee! " A few words to the whole assembly, with a short pcayer and benediction, closed the services of this memorable morning ; scenes never to be forgotten, and the most solemn and heart-moving of anything I have ever witnessed in or out of the house of God. Throughout the whole, the most perfect silence and order were preserved ; not the least noise, no outburst of passion ; AMERICAN REVIVALS. ' 41 but deep indescribable feelings, and inward " groanings which cannot be uttered," pervaded the entire assembly. This was the beginning of one of those precious seasons we call "revivals" which resulted in the conversion of many souls, adding numbers and strength to our infant church ; and which none ever doubted of being a genuine work of the Holy Spirit. To God be all the glory. 42 LETTER VII. FRUITS OF THE REVIVAL. MY DEAR FRIEND, A few additional words on the subject of my last, and I will pass to another branch of this prolific subject. As months passed away, and we began to examine young converts for admission into the church, gathering into the fold the fruits of this revival, I was deeply affected with the experience of many ; and often filled with wonder and admiration at the condescension and rnercy of God, in making use of the feeblest instrument, and sometimes the most trivial circumstance, to arrest attention, and awaken the soul to a sense of its lost condition, thus verifying the truth of the Scriptures "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, &c." The following is an instance : A merchant of no ordinary standing and influence became overwhelmed with his lost condition as a sinner ; his convictions, deep and pungent ; and the terrors of the divine law had such entire possession of his soul, that, to use his own language, " it seemed as if the pains of hell had got hold of him/' Unable to rest, eat, or sleep, he sent for me ; often did I talk and pray with him. After some weeks he was brought to a cheerful surrender of himself to Christ ; lying low and humble at the foot of the cross, he found sweet peace in believing ; and his exulting cry ever after was, " Whom AMERICAN REVIVALS. 43 have I in heaven but Christ ? and there is none on the earth I desire beside him." Long after this in subsequent conversa- tion on the subject, in reply to the question, " What first arrested your attention?" "It was," said he, " the first glimpse I had of your face on that memorable Sabbath morning as I entered the church. The agony, the anguish of soul, expressed in your countenance that morning, came like a barbed arrow into my heart. I was a wounded, trembling sinner, crying for mercy, before you had opened your mouth." From that day to the present, I have found in this simple fact much food for deep reflection and solemn inquiry ; and have often asked myself the question, whether it may not be possible for a minister of the gospel to live so near to God, hold such daily converse with Him, and exercise such a spirit of faith and prayer, in a word, to " so walk with God/' that his very face shall shine like the face of Moses in descending from the mount, so that a look upon him, or from him, shall preach a sermon more impressive and heart-moving than the most eloquent tongue ? In giving to your ladyship this rather minute and detailed account, I wish it to be clearly and most emphatically under- stood, that it is with no design of holding up this revival as a pattern of American revivals generally : I mean, in the details of its origin and progress. In its precious fruits it may be considered a fair sample. But the deeds and doings, for example, of that " memorable Sabbath" were all perfectly unique, and probably has not its parallel in the whole history of American revivals. Nor do I hold up my own acts in this revival, especially on that " Sabbath/' as acts to be imitated ; but, on the contrary, as extraordinary acts forced upon me by extraordinary cir- cumstances ; acts which I never performed before, nor have I ever attempted to repeat, because circumstances have never returned to justify them ; and all the facts connected with that memorable hour only go to show how perfectly a min- ister of the gospel, labouring in a revival, must learn to lie low and passive in God's hand, and have no will of his own, 44 TREASURED MOMENTS. but be guided solely by the word, the Spirit, and the pro- vidence of God. Had I of my own will, and under ordinary circumstances, attempted to have " got up an excitement" by calling out the church members, or any other out-of-the-way movement, it would have produced only disgust, and my dismissal from the pastorate of that church would have been the consequence. But it was apparent to the most superficial observer, that I was not acting myself, nor for myself; but that it was God acting by me and through me. Therefore all, not only acquiesced, but approved, and thought no more of blaming me, than they would of blaming a " saw in the hands of him that shaketh it." All felt that it was the Lord's doings "and marvellous in their eyes/' I desire, therefore-, particularly, that your ladyship should discriminate very carefully between this narrative and those accounts which have pained many Christian hearts on both sides of the Atlantic, in which there appears so much of man, and so little of God, such a vast amount of machinery put in motion for the purpose of " getting up a revival." I have no faith in these mechanical, spasmodic efforts. But I have faith in God, and in the guidance of his Spirit. Please also notice the fact, that there was no plan or pre-concert for calling out the church. Such a thought had never entered my mind when I entered that pulpit, and it would have been a fearful experiment under other circumstances. The attempt would have proved fatal to the standing and reputation of any pastor. But it was not of man's device, nor of man's wisdom. Man had nothing to do with it, but to yield himself a servant to whom he would obey, and to speak and move as the Spirit of God moved him. The results, too, proved that the work was not of man but of God. The gleanings of that precious revival, for successive years, were better than the vintage of those hot-house clus- ters/ forced to maturity by artificial heat. So manifest were the happy results as seen in the church, and in the ingathering of souls from year to year, that I never heard a doubt AMERICAN REVIVALS. 45 expressed by any member of that church, nor by any one out of the church, as to the propriety and wisdom of all that was said and done on that memorable day ; the like of which I never saw before, I never expect to see again. LETTER VIII. REVIVALS THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. MY DEAR FRIEND, From my previous letters, your ladyship will be able to judge of my opportunities of knowing the churches, the ministry, and of my personal experience in "American revivals;" and if, with such experience, my judgment of their character and influence shall be found at fault, I shall no doubt be pronounced "a dull scholar." Are these revivals, then, the work of God, or the work of man ? I am not surprised at the question ; for all Europe is full of infidelity and scepticism on this subject. Even with many serious-minded Protestants, the terms " revival," "fanaticism," " go-ahead," " Young America," and "filibuster," are but so many synonyms, or parts of the same programme, conveying to the mind different phases of the same dramatic performance, suited to an impulsive, ex- citable people, fond of novelty. It is not a little instructive to hear vain philosophers and scoffing infidels attempt gravely to explain the cause of what they call these " periodical excitements " as being only the mental and physical development of a free and progressive people. Their warm Saxon blood, as the basis, crossing and mingling with the blood of all other nations, driven from the old world under the excitement of religious fanaticism, and having their origin in the power of puritanical dogmas ; to- gether with their peculiar circumstances, the excitement and AMERICAN REVIVALS. 47 energy that naturally attend the subjugation of a new and almost boundless continent ; these, with their collaterals and concomitants, are sufficient to explain the whole phenomena of what are called "American revivals." Indeed, to one who has never visited the western world, to hear these wise men of the " East " talk on this subject, he would imagine that America was but a huge, mystical panorama, exhibiting an infinite variety of reflecting surfaces and brilliant colours, shifting their position to opposite extremes, to make the con- trast the more striking. Hence say they, " One year you will see the federal government quarrelling over mints of money they know not what to do with ; the next year the wheels of government are likely to stop for the want of it. One month they boast of their princely merchants, and of untold wealth locked up in their coffers ; the next month their banks are closed, and every man a bankrupt. One week all is life and activity, the world uppermost in every man's heart and mouth ; speculation is rife, a*nd making money 'the chief end of man.' Theatres and ball-rooms crowded with the gay and fashionable ; jewels and diamonds sparkle upon the head, neck, and fingers of the lady, the sempstress, and the servant ; and the language of all is, ' Let us eat, drink, and be merry ; for to-morrow we die.' The next week all are dying of ennui; they want a change. What shall it be ? All earthly good has been tried ; every spring drunk dry. What next ? They vote a ' revival ;' one more turn of the kaleidoscope, and there they have it in full blast. Ball-rooms are now emptied ; crowded theatres converted into prayer-meetings ; their jewellery exchanged for Bibles and prayer-books ; in place of the lewd songs of ribaldry, the singing of hymns and spiritual songs becomes the order of the day. 'An American revival, therefore, is nothing more or less than a part of their great national panoramic drama' " Thus reasons the scoffing infidel, and thus does he exultingly pro- claim it, as he turns up his eyes with a very wise and knowing look, shifting his cigar from the corner to the centre of his mouth, expecting everybody to cry out, " Amen." No, no, 48 TREASURED MOMENTS. Monsieur Infidel ; as God says of you, in his Holy Bible, "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee" . . " though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars," God will bring thee down. Those "American revivals" at which you scoff, are as much the work of God as the creation of the sun that shines in the heavens. So was the great revival of the sixteenth century ; God was its author, Luther but an instrument : and that you scoff at both is no marvel. More than twenty-five hundred years ago, God revealed the fact that you would do it. No one, therefore, acquainted with the Bible is taken by surprise ; and Paul, more than eighteen hundred years ago, gave as a reason why you would scoff, " that the carnal mind is enmity against God," and " receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God ; for they are foolishness unto him : neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." A blind man may scoff at colours, but the colours remain a reality notwithstanding. A man born and brought up in a coal-pit a thousand feet under ground, and who never saw any other light but Davy's lamp, may talk very learnedly against the possibility of there being any other luminary, and may even ridicule the idea of a shining sun ; but neither his arguments nor his ridicule will have weight with those who have seen the sun, and felt its warmth and power. Just so is it with those who live in sin, " and who love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil," and will not come to the light, lest their deeds should be reproved. Every phase of the infidel heart is so clearly and fearfully depicted in the Holy Bible, that when he looks into it, he is startled and terrified at his own likeness. This is the reason he hates it. A man of hideous features and a wolfish visage detests a mirror ; so with the infidel, when he sees in that holy book his own wicked heart so vividly portrayed, and then reads that " the wicked shall be turned into hell, with all the nations that forget God," how is it possible for him to love that book or its divine Author, till his heart be changed ? But while the sneers and AMERICAN REVIVALS. 49 scoffs of the infidel do not surprise us, we may indeed be surprised at the apathy and insensibility of those who profess to be enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have tasted of the powers of the world to come, and who profess to believe that Christ is one day to rule and reign God-blessed among the nations : for such to doubt, or even show an indifference on the subject, is past comprehension, especially when we consider that the history of the church in all her aggressive movements in every age and in all places of her spiritual conquests, and in the renovation of each and every heart, is but the history of one continuous revival. Instead, therefore, of exciting wonder at such displays of God's converting grace, it should excite the greater wonder, and the deepest sorrow and heart-searching, when God withholds his Spirit, especially as he has promised it in answer to prayer. Christians who understand the power of faith, and the privilege and power of prayer, and have laboured for the personal salvation of sinners, are never taken by surprise when souls are converted ; it is just what they expect, because just what they have prayed for ; and when they see many souls converted simultaneously^ and a great turning unto the Lord in any given place, so far from standing aghast with wonder, they rejoice and are exceeding glad in the fulfilment of God's gracious promises in hearing and answering prayer ; and they call this a " revival," in which all their Christian graces receive a new and heavenly impulse, a great increase of faith, hope, and charity. On this point, therefore, touching what are termed "American revivals," I answer most emphatically that, beyond all controversy, " THEY ARE THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT/' and that there should turn up in these revivals an occasional fanatic to cause reproach and grieve the children of God, is no more to be wondered at than that there should have been a " Korah, Dathan, and Abiram," in the days of Moses, or an "Ananias and Sapphira" in the days of Paul How slow we are to learn the lessons so beautifully and graphically drawn out upon the sacred page by our divine Lord ! Why should D 50 TREASURED MOMENTS. we, after all his divine teachings, persevere in throwing a whole netful of fishes away because there happens to be bad ones among them ? or pull up a whole field of wheat because of the" tares? Suppose we can discriminate clearly one from the other, the greater is our sin for throwing all away. If God, whose piercing eye can detect every tare, can bear with them till the harvest, ought we to be impatient ? It would greatly swell the tide of charity over the world, and among Christians of every name, if all would bear in mind that there is no such thing as perfection in this world, but that there is a mixture of sin in all we do, and in our best performances a tinge of our fallen nature. God's own work is always perfect ; but the purest revivals, mixed as they are more or less with human weakness, only approximate, and that too but faintly, as the first dawn of light to the meridian sun, the glories of the latter day. Let European Christians, then, learn to give glory to God for these rich and wonderful blessings showered upon the American churches, notwithstanding the mixture of man's imperfections. .51 LETTER IX. WHY NOT SUCH EEVIVALS OVER CHRISTENDOM? MY DEAR FRIEND, I now come to the question so often asked, " Why is it that we do not behold, in other countries, such a succession of 'REVIVALS' as have blessed the American churches from their very existence ? " Upon a question covering so broad a field of inquiry, it will be quite impossible, within the proposed limits of this letter, to give my views in full. A few suggestions are all I shall attempt. To say that God acts as a sovereign, would be to beg the question. And, besides, it is undoubtedly true, that God works in his moral and spiritual kingdom by laws as inherent and immutable as those by which he governs the vegetable king- dom. Sowing tares never produces wheat, neither will an uncultivated field yield a rich harvest. " Good seed upon good ground," is nature's law and requirement for securing a good harvest. God's moral law is like unto it "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap : he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting." This law applies with equal force to all expositors and teachers of the Holy Scriptures. The preaching of error does not bring forth the fruits of righteousness ; Christ never prayed for a blessing upon error. " Sanctify them through Thy truth" was his prayer. Truth, not error, becomes the sword in the hands of the Holy Spirit ; and the Holy Spirit is the author of all " genuine revivals." But this rather increases than alleviates D2 52 TREASURED MOMENTS. the difficulty of answering the question ; inasmuch as it will be asked, where in all Christendom is the truth more clearly presented, and better understood, than in England and Scot- land ? True ; I admit the force of the question ; and I ask in turn, do we not recognise, in some degree at least, the same precious fruits in these highly - cultivated fields, though unaccompanied by those remarkable showers of divine in- fluences that descend upon our American Zion ? We recog- nise the same difference in the kingdom of nature. A rich, . golden harvest often waves over fields on which showers have never descended, and where the gentle dews, and noiseless stream from the flowing fountain or river, have supplied equally the demand of nature's law. So God has, for infinitely wise reasons, and perhaps in accordance with certain inherent laws unknown to us, seen fit to water the American churches with wonderful showers heavenly showers, that have strengthened and beautified Zion, and made her like a well- watered garden ; while in England and Scotland the gentle dews and silent streams have answered the same end. But if we scrutinise a little further into these peculiar phenomena, we may be able to discover much in the different circumstances and structure of society, that will help to explain or, in part, account for, what to many seems so un- accountable. For example, the homogeneous character of the one contrasts strikingly with that of the other. In 'England and Scotland, families are more like gardens hedged about with impregnable walls, where children, like olive plants, are trained in the religion of their fathers, with less danger of foreign influences, and where God seems to delight "in showing mercy unto thousands of generations of them that love him and keep his commandments." Hence the piety of their children, wherever it exists, has more the semblance of a spontaneous production than would be possible under other circumstances. In perfect contrast, and directly opposite to all this, is the state of things in America, growing out of the heterogeneous character of her population. AMERICAN REVIVALS. 53 Congregated there from all nations under heaven, possessing few, if any, religious opinions or sympathies in common, might we not expect, if God visited us at all in mercy, it would be with some such striking manifestations of his con- verting power and grace, proportionate to our peculiar exigen- cies ? And so it comes to pass, to the praise of the riches of God's grace and glory. And for aught we know, this may be necessary, as one of the means of preserving and propagating true piety and godliness in a nation so peculiarly flooded with counter currents, and foreign influences, and opposing elements. Let us bear in mind, also, the origin of that infant nation, and the first seed sown upon its virgin soil, taking deep root in the valleys and among the granite hills of New England. Our old Puritan fathers, whose hearts the Lord had opened, and on account of which they were expelled from their native land, did not fail to discriminate very clearly between the righteous and the wicked, between the converted and the un- converted ; and to draw a broad line of demarcation between these two classes became a fundamental principle in planting the colonial churches of New England. And these churches have furnished the salt, in a great measure, that has given shape and character to most of the churches in North America. And if there be any one distinctive feature, which more than anything else, marks the difference between the evangelical churches of America and those of England and Scotland, it is in the broad distinction that is made, and perpetually and vividly held up to view, between the children of God and the children of the wicked one. And it is here, I think, if any- where, that the American pulpit looms up with peculiar lustre, above all others in Christendom. It has been my good fortune, during my residence in Europe, to listen to many of the most eminent divines of the present century, such as the great Drs. Chalmers, Duff, Candlish, Guthrie, McNiel, Raffles, Binney, Hamilton, dimming, Melville, Noel, down to the youthful Spurgeon ; and while I have, with most of them, 54 TREASURED MOMENTS. been charmed, instructed, and deeply impressed by their rich and elaborate productions, and my heart moved by their eloquence and pathos ; yet, in the simple delineation of cha- racter, holding up the friends and the enemies of God, by way of contrast, portraying the difference between them, and depicting the impassable gulf that must for ever separate them, and the vividness with which Christ is held up, and presented as the only door, through which the sinner must pass from the world into the church, if he would pass from the church into heaven, ah, it is here, in these and like dis- criminations, that I consider our American divines excel all others whom it has been my privilege to hear. How far this may go to explain American revivals, I will not pretend to say. I will simply add, that the great fundamental doctrines of the gospel, as embodied in the larger and shorter Catechism of the Westminster Assembly, and such as were taught by Edwards, Bellamy, and Dwight, are the doctrines insisted upon, and most blessed, in the American revivals. Then, again, it is not easy to say how far that perfect freedom of the whole man, so fully enjoyed in America, may tend to promote the germina- tion of truth, once planted in the mind. No church establish- ments, no old conventionalities, no priestly usurpation, to strangle to death every new-born thought ; but an open Bible presents itself to every inquiring mind anxious to find the way of life ; which becomes the Book of books, and its pure light is let into the understanding without the least fear of fines or imprisonment ; free to think, and free to act, on every subject pertaining to his salvation. Where there are tens of thousands annually pouring into America from under despotic governments, many of whom are brought suddenly to a know- ledge of the truth, and into that liberty wherewith Christ makes the sinner free, it is not surprising that, under the influence of this double freedom, the new-born soul should leap for joy, and in the exuberance of its disinthralled affec- tions, with its untrammelled physical and mental powers, manifest a zeal which can know no bounds. Such a state of AMERICAN REVIVALS. 55 things, the new condition and waking up of so many minds, so differently and variously impressed with new truths and new light, may, for aught I know, be a more favourable soil for revivals than the mental and spiritual stagnation every- where seen in the old world. With the exception of a few evangelical Protestants, Egyptian darkness broods over the whole continent of Europe, on the subject of God and the Bible. A total absence of an enlightened conscience, with no recognition of God's claims upon them, either in the observ- ance of the Sabbath or any other law or command found in the Bible ; and the only visible evidence of recognition even of God's existence is in the heathenish customs, ceremonies, and manipulations that are everywhere to be seen, but which convey not one ray of light to the understanding, respecting the purity, holiness, and justice of that God, whose Bible is so carefully concealed from the people. Nothing strikes the mind of an intelligent Christian with more pain, than to behold here the swarming multitudes of immortal beings, who, from the kings and emperors on their thrones, down through all grades of society, are as ignorant of the "great salvation," " the redemption of the soul by the blood of Christ," as the most degraded pagan ; " and grope in the dark like the blind, though at noon-day." Inasmuch then as it is God's truth received into the mind, and which the Holy Spirit uses in " revivals," as the sword to pierce and break the heart, how can we expect anything here like the "American revivals "? It would be to expect a harvest of wheat where only a few grains had been scattered along the highways and hedges, and among thorns and briars. Such would not be in accord- ance with the laws by which God governs the natural, moral, or spiritual world. Again, the Holy Spirit is sent down in answer to prayer ; prayer offered to God threugh the merits and intercession of Jesus Christ. But what do they know here of prayer ? What do they know of the one God, and one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus ? What has been their experience of the efficacy of his precious 56 TREASURED MOMENTS. blood in cleansing them from sin and guilt, and making them "partakers of the Divine nature " ? Nothing, absolutely nothing at all ; and to attempt to unfold and spread out, before a European audience, whether of the Latin or the Greek Church, the great and glorious doctrines of the gospel, and plan of salva- tion through Christ, with any hope of their understanding them, would be like the attempt to fit an English shoe to a Chinese foot a foot that, from infancy, had been^ tightly bound up in swaddling-clothes till it had neither form, nor comeliness, nor the power of expansion. Upon the simple, yet momentous, question " What must I do to be saved ? " a Sabbath-school child, six years old, taught from a free and open Bible, could put to the blush all the crowned heads of Europe. Such is the European mind, viewed simply in its religious aspect. As a field, therefore, to be cultivated, with any ex- pectation of " revivals " as an immediate result, the continent of Europe is no more to be compared to the United States, than the arid sands of the desert are to be compared to the rich virgin soil of an Illinois prairie. How can it be other- wise ? when the masses know nothing of the Bible, and few have ever heard of one, save as a kind of dark magic lantern to teach the priests how to carry on their jugglery, make flesh of bread, blood of wine, and create holy water " ad libitum" with many other lying wonders. Indeed, in my travels upon the continent, and visiting the dark places of Papal super- stition, it has appeared to me that the whole political and ecclesiastical powers of Europe have been engaged in little else than racking their brains in discovering ways and means by which to shut out God's truth and light from the people : then, as a substitute, and with a view to appease them, just as foolish parents do their disappointed, fretful children, they give them holidays, toys, and sugar-plums. From these sugges- tions, I trust your ladyship will perceive some of the reasons " why we do not behold on this continent such ' revivals ' as have blest the American churches/'' 57 LETTER X. CHURCH ESTABLISHMENTS. DO THEY PROMOTE OR HINDER REVIVALS ? MY DEAR FRIEND, One more question remains to be con- sidered, " What are your opinions of Established National Churches ? " or, as others express it, " Union of Church and State." Do they promote or hinder revivals ? It will be quite impossible, in one short letter, to express my whole heart upon so momentous a question, a question that strikes at the root of long-cherished habits, forms, customs, and usages, and the deepest prejudices known to the human heart. The mere expression of an opinion, with a few random thoughts, upon such a bulwark of strength, would be like an attack upon Gibraltar with a quiver of straws. But as " seeing is believing," and as the mind often receives the most vivid impressions of a simple truth when exhibited upon canvas, your ladyship will please accompany me into one of the departments of God's great laboratory, where hangs a picture so powerfully symbolising my views on this subject a picture, too, with such inimitable blending of nature and art, and such bold outlines, that once seen the impress becomes so indelibly imprinted upon the tablet of the heart, as never to be effaced by the ravages of time. Let us light down then upon the southern peak of the Appalachian Mountains, in North America, and turn our eyes northward and westward, and scan the great basin of the Tennessee. What a stu- 58 TREASURED MOMENTS. pendous picture-gallery opens to our view ! Let us now descend to the base, and I will show to your ladyship what was once the most lovely village that ever dazzled the eye of woman ; resting upon a gentle declivity of table land, peeping out upon a smiling valley of forests and vines, of fruit- ful fields and running brooks, undulating as the swells of the ocean ; and, what was more, isolated from the great world and its pollutions, and having enjoyed a pure gospel frornJnfancy, her moral and religious character was as remarkable as her isolation, and as lovely and attractive as were the charms of her physical conformation, and as unique as the wild and picturesque scenery that surrounds her. Here, between the Cumberland and the Alleghanies, and under the very shadow of the latter, quietly nestled this mountain gem, queen of all she surveyed, none to dispute her claims, none to disturb, molest, or make her afraid. The site of this village, too, was as unique as it was beauti- ful, not unlike an oblong promontory, or tongue of land, running into the sea, just wide enough for three parallel streets lengthwise ; the central, or main street, occupying the ridge, formed, what may be called, the spine of the village, from which all the water descending from the clouds to wash her streets ran off in three different directions, so that a particle of mud upon her gravelled walks would have been as great an anomaly as if found in a parlour ; so that she was as proverbial for her external cleanliness as for the purity of her morals. Then, again, as if struggling to produce another Eden, nature had provided a self-propelling and a self- perpetuating power to carry into the sea every particle of impurity that should be washed from her streets, or which might in anywise infect the air, impair health, or impede her prosperity. That we may the better understand this power, and see the working of this beautiful machinery just such as God only can make, let us take a promenade up the main street a gentle and easy ascent, at the head of which stands, like a strong fortress, the great Presbyterian church, built of AMERICAN REVIVALS. 59 stone, the only church ever erected in the place. From this eminence we turn round, facing the village, and the gem is under our eye. Look now to the right, and count the springs of pure limpid waters gushing from the earth, and flowing onward and downward the entire length of the village, lapping up the straws and leaves, and every impurity that could pollute the ground or the air ; then watch it sweeping round in a gr^eful curve, till now, look on the left, and there it re-appears, rushing back on the other side as if unwilling to depart till the whole village had been blest with its cleansing and purifying influences. And now, having completed its benevolent mission, it turns abruptly from the village, bear- ing far away all the refuse and feculent substances that it had gathered in its course. But we have not yet seen all of this beautiful machinery a wheel within a wheel. How wonder- ful everything God has made ! Follow this stream from its hydra head through its entire sweep, almost encircling the village ; and at every few rods, on either side, are new springs bursting forth, increasing its momentum and power for good, as if determined that each and every family should be supplied with an independent fountain, that there be no strife among them as to who should have the upper or the nether springs. And so completely did these waters encircle the entire village, that of the half-dozen roads leading into it, one only enters without crossing this stream. And so fully did these waters meet the entire wants of the inhabitants, that a well or cistern was never thought of. If a horse in the stable wanted water, he was led to the stream ; if a carriage needed washing, it was rolled into this stream ; if a dairywoman needed a cool place for her milk, there was a little house built at one of the springs, where the cooling waters gurgled around her pans ; and when the cream came to the surface there was the churn, washed and scoured in the same fountain, ready to convert it into butter ; and there, too, the butter and meat were kept sweet and cool in the hottest weather ; and when the laundress engaged in her important duties, the cook was never discon- 60 TEEASUKED MOMENTS. certed the large wash-kettle stood as a fixture at the spring, to which she repaired with her week's washing, where her work was performed with neatness and dispatch ; and if a man became thirsty in a hot summer's night, he need not call a servant, but slip on his morning-gown, take a pitcher in his hand, walk to the nearest spring, and slake his thirst at the pure fountain. Was ever a people more blest, or more happy ? For hours I have gazed in rapt sile^^ upon those perennial fountains, so pure, so sparkling, so afrandant ; and at eventide have strolled along the banks of that incom- parable stream, and viewed the variety of those springs, which iiad the appearance of keeping up a perpetual holy strife, to see which could send out from the bowels of the earth the p-eatest amount of blessings. And then, too, it was all done with such a hearty goodwill, as if to luork and to bless were all their delight. And as the springs leaped from the opposite banks, and embraced and kissed each other, away they rushed, tinkling, sparkling, dancing, whirling over rock and pebble, as if in raptures at the blessings they scattered around them. Then taking my stand at the point of their departure, where they have bestowed their last favours, I have watched them leaping into the beautiful valley below, where they seemed to pause, as if to reflect whether anything more could be done ; and as they began to glide softly through the meadows below, in their silent unobtrusive course, when the last rays of the setting sun were playing upon their mirrored bosom, they seemed to look back with sparkling, laughing eyes, and cry to that village, " O ye inhabitants of JVt , mark well your privileges and the blessings we have lavished upon you. We have cleansed your houses, washed your streets and carriages, made clean your garments, preserved pure and cool your meat and your milk, have slaked the thirst of man and beast, and every attribute with which God has endowed us we have put forth to bless you, and all without money and without price; and now are we bearing upon our bosom all the impurities we have received from you, that we may carry them far, far away, AMERICAN REVIVALS. 61 and bury them in the depths of the sea, where they shall never more harm you ; and this will we continue to do annually, daily, hourly, momentarily, summer and winter, day and night, in time of drought and times of plenty, to you and to your children after you unto, thousands of generations. We are never weary of blessing you ; only be careful, keep our course clear, suffer no obstacles to be thrown in our way, no barrierMacross our path." How reasonable the conditions upon wmch this village might have been blessed through all future time ! But alas ! alas ! for poor short-sighted man, so fond of tinkering and trying to improve God's works. What did man do, what could he do to improve these waters, to render them a richer blessing ? Shall it be told in Gath, or published in the streets of Askelon ? Yes, it shall be told for the instructive lesson it imparts. One of the wealthy citizens became alarmed at the liberty these waters enjoyed, and the improper use they once made of such liberty, when under the excitement of a thunder-shower, the back water rushed into his spring-house, upset his pans of milk, and committed other depredations, quite unworthy the privileges and freedom they enjoyed. He was of opinion that such errors should be nipped in the bud, and that there was no time to be lost ; and if the citizens would but grant him the privilege, he would, at his own expense, put a stop to such freaks. The privilege once granted, he threw a dam, No. 1, across the stream, and dug a race for the waters, so as perfectly to secure his object ; and in doing so he discovered he had created a water-power that might be turned to a good account ; he erected a mill, and extended this race to an over-shot wheel, which these waters turned to so much profit, and put money so rapidly into his pocket, that others caught the idea, and now a second dam is thrown across, then a third. So that instead of a beautiful stream of running waters to bless the whole popula- tion, the poor as well as the rich, there were now three stagnant, dirty ponds ; all to make rich three families. These ponds became the depositories of every unclean thing ; all the 62 TREASURED MOMENTS. dead dogs and cats, all the filth of the streets, the wash of the kitchens and stables, and finally, the veriest puddles for swine to wallow in. Next ascended a miasma that poisoned the atmosphere ; noxious vapours, like the plagues of Egypt, entered their dwellings, cutting down their first-born ; a wail goes up to heaven, weeping and lamentation are heard in their streets ; and on my last visit, thirty years ago, their once beautiful village was hardly to be recognised : faMities had been decimated, houses deserted, and falling piecemeW to the ground ; and this once miniature of Geneva had, within ten years, sunk into a dilapidated Rome. My dear Lady Aid- borough, this is a true picture, a picture to be studied ; and in the study of which your ladyship cannot fail to discern my views on the question propounded. Those pure, sparkling waters, gushing out of God's earth, flowing unob- structed and in such abundance, and scattering blessings in so rich profusion wherever they ran, were, to the inhabit- ants of that highly favoured village, just what an open, free Bible, a free church, and a free a.nd pure gospel are to the inhabitants of all countries wherever enjoyed ; and, secondly, those three dams, thrown across that stream to turn the waters out of their natural free channel, to be guided and controlled by erring men, and for their own selfish purposes, became to the inhabitants of that same village just what every church establishment has become to the masses of the people in every country where they have existed since the Christian era, without a single exception. No matter whether it be the Papal Church of Rome, the Episcopal Church of England, or the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, the principle is the same ; they have been but so many dams thrown across that " river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God," but not till these dams be removed, that the word of God may have free course and be glorified. True, some of these stagnant waters are less noxious than others, and contain less of the poisonous effluvia so fatal to the spiritual growth of God's people ; but it is only because the AMERICAN REVIVALS. 63 dams have been more recently built : that they will become equally corrupt, is simply a question of time. Before the Anglican Church is as old as her mother, with the strides she is now making, unless God interpose to sweep away the dam, she will be astride the " scarlet coloured beast," with "a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations." The corruptions and horrible wickedness of the Papal Church are as much the natural inductions of these stagnant waters stagnant because of the dam thrown across them as are the poisonous effluvia from the deadly upas ; and every church establishment tends to the same fruit and the same end. Pride, avarice, arrogance, love of the world, of power, pomp, show, oppression, despot- ism just the opposite to the fruits of the Spirit axe seen among the first-fruits of an established church ; and the ten- dency is always from bad to worse. The docks here, at Havre, are all artificial ; water is let in, and there confined, to float the ships ; but very soon it becomes so putrid, and sends up such a stench, that they are obliged to provide waste gates, and at ebb-tide let these poisonous waters out, and let in the fresh and pure from God's great ocean. Now, the Bible is God's great ocean of truth ; but church establishments never provide waste gates never let out their putrid waters never suffer fresh water to come in. Such is the boast of the Papal Church. " No change ; always the same." "You Protestants dissenters, with no established religion love change." Yes, we do ; we love to receive fresh supplies every day from God's great fountain of light and truth. We are not fond of paying tithes to lave in a puddle, when we have an ocean of pure water always at our command, without money and without price. But, says the objector, Are you not unfortunate in selecting the ocean as an emblem of the Bible, when Isaiah says, " The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt" ? Yes, exactly so ; and this is just what is needed. Mark well : the " mire and dirt " come not from the ocean, but from the filthy earth, with which it is brought in 64 TREASURED MOMENTS. contact ; just so with the Holy Bible, when brought in con- tact with a wicked heart. Paul " had not known sin but by the law ; but when the commandment came, sin revived ;" and it wrought in him all manner of concupiscence, casting up to his view, and to his utter dismay, the " mire and dirt" that had been so long concealed in his heart. This is the reason why we so strenuously contend for a free and open Bible that it may come in contact with every human heart, stjj^ng it to its lowest depths. Notice, also, another point of resemblance. They are both endowed by God with an inherent principle of self-preservation against all impurities and corruptions, when left free, as God made them. All the rivers that pour their filth into the. sea, the wash of great cities, and of all the ships afloat, and the thousands that perish in her waters, do not affect her purity : just so with the Bible. It may come in contact with the vilest hearts, and by God's Spirit purify and cleanse them, while its own purity remains intact. It is just so with the atmosphere that surrounds this globe. Who would think of building air-tight rooms for the purpose of preserving a little pure air for the benefit of the sick, when its purity depends upon its freedom ? God has made the ocean, the air, the sun, and the Bible ; and endowed them all with the same great principle of self-preservation and self-purification, when left to act free. They were made for action ; it is their nature to act ; their life, their purity, their power for good, depends upon the freedom of their action. They were made, not only to act, but to be acted upon ; to agitate, and to be agitated ; but never to be confined. We may shut out the rays of the sun from our dwelling ; but let us not veil the sun that it shall not shine upon others, under the pretext of keep- ing it pure, or because some reckless man has had his eyes injured by it. We may shut the light of God's Bible out of our own hearts, but let us not dare to chain that Bible, that others may not behold its light, and feel its power ; nor hide it under a bushel, lest somebody may corrupt it. It is kept from corruption when it is kept in action. What pity and AMERICAN REVIVALS. 65 contempt would be felt over the world for a set of monks to be spending their energies, and all the poor people's money they could lay their hands on, in digging out great basins by the seaside, in order to preserve a little sea- water pure, undis- turbed, untouched by the impurities of earth, and cursing and persecuting all those who chose to take it fresh from the ocean! And so with the air and the light those great elementsjtfhich God has given to the world, to all classes, and for all concutions of men to be brought under the control of a few stupid, besotted monks ! Who would not arise in his indignation, and assert his right to receive these elements pure from God's hand ? So is it with that great fountain of light, and of the pure waters of life. And who so blind as not to perceive the contrast among the nations ; and the difference between a people who have for centuries been sipping at the puddles and dirty ditches of monks under a church establish- ment, and those communities where the people drink from the fountain ? Look at Italy, Austria, and Spain, with their armies of corrupt priests and monks, backed by the whole mili- tary power of those kingdoms, with pointed bayonets, to keep the people from the fountain of life, and compel them to drink muddy water. Then compare them with those bright spots of earth, with a free church, an open Bible, and a pure gospel. Would that civil governments could be made to feel that the Holy Bible is of itself an impregnable tower of strength ; that it is of age, and can speak for itself ; that it needs no legisla- tive body as godfather to stand sponsor, nor any human legis- lation to unseal the fountain, or to guide and control its waters : it asks nothing more, nor does it need anything more from any government under heaven, but just to be let alone. " Hands off !" pollute not this holy book by a touch of legis- lation ; only keep the track clear ; throw no obstacle in its way, no dam across its pure stream. So long as those waters encircling that village were left free from the touch of man in attempting to control them, so long they imparted nothing but blessings ; but the moment man's polluted hand was seen 66 TREASURED MOMENTS. tinkering with those pure waters to improve them ; they became a curse to the people. I am aware of being met with the question, " Has not the English Church been a blessing to the world ?" I reply, " individuals " in that church have blessed the world ; and all Christendom has reason to bless God that such men as Scott, Henry, and Legh Richmond have lived to let their light shine. But none can tell how many more such men might have risen to bless the world, had England been free^rom the blight and mildew of a church establishment. If England has sent out so many good men, and proved such a blessing to the world, with such a millstone around her neck, what might she not have done with a free Bible and a free church ? Inas- much, then, as all dams thrown across the pure running waters of the river of life tend to corruption, so do they all tend directly towards Rome ; for the principle in all is the same. In some churches, to be sure, the process of corruption is slower than in others, because meeting with stronger counter- currents, but is none the less certain in its final results. One engine may propel a train much faster than another, but if upon the same track, and leading the same way, they are equally sure to reach the same destination. If, then, we are on that track, with our faces toward Rome, whether on the slow or the fast train, and if we do not really wish to go there, but prefer to go to Geneva, we had better change cars at the first station. And now, in conclusion, my earnest prayer is, that God may in mercy hasten the day when every obstacle shall be removed, every artificial dam be swept away, that the pure waters of life may flow freely from pole to pole, " till the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." BOOK II. " There is sorrow on the sea." Jer. xlix. 23. "Sing unto the Lord a new song, ye that go down to the sea." Isa. xlii. 10. " The ahundance of the sea shall be converted." Isa. Ix. 5. 69 BOOK II, AMERICAN SEAMEN. INCIDENTS AND FACTS AT HAVRE. ON arriving at Havre, in 1836, a little, tattered flag from an upper window in a narrow, dirty alley, was the only index of a place where sailors could meet for prayer and worship. It was on the second floor. A few books and papers on a long table in the centre, a few scattered benches for auditors, and a little, plain box in one corner for the speaker, composed its entire furniture. Although the most decent place in the neighbourhood, it was not considered inappropriate to convert it into a smoking-room, for Jack's accommodation, as soon as religious services were closed. In looking back to that period from the present standpoint, we may indeed exclaim, " What hath God wrought \" Notwithstanding these unpropitious circumstances, God was often pleased to vouchsafe his presence, and display his power and grace, in the midst of the few that assembled there for worship. From the " Sailor's Magazine," published at that time in New York, we make the following extracts : "We are repeatedly cheered with the accounts received from time to time of the onward progress of the seamen's cause at Havre. The labours of our chaplain, Mr. Sawtell, appear to be blessed abundantly. A new and more commo- dious place of worship has been prepared, of which they hoped to take possession on the first of the present month. Under the date of January 30th, Mr. Sawtell writes thus : " ' The bearer of this can tell you how we are crowded in the chapel, and I hope soon to be crowded out of it. I 70 TREASURED MOMENTS. have also reason to believe that the Lord is among us for good/ " The following deeply interesting notices are from his pen, under date of December 24th : " ' There are many little incidents occurring almost every day that encourage me in my work, and should cheer the hearts of all who contribute to the funds, or are in any way engaged in promoting the welfare of seamen. " SAILORS HAVE GRATITUDE. " 'Tell the dear people of America that we bless them in God's name for providing us with a good anchorage, and such rich provisions for the soul, while in Havre/ cries an old, weather-beaten tar, as he seized my hand to-day, giving it a grip that one might suppose he had mistaken it for a helm in a storm, and which drew tears from my eyes, from more causes than one. ' Yes/ continued he, ' I bless the Lord that I have lived to see the day when poor Jack is no longer forgotten in the prayers of the church/ " ' I called, sir/ says another, ' in the name of all the crew, to thank you for the kind words and faithful warnings you have given us since we have been in Havre. I trust, sir, we shall not forget them. For once, I am determined in the strength of Jesus that sin shall never get the weather-gauge of me again/ " A third exclaimed, as he bowed the knee in prayer, ' O Jesus, I thank thee that thou hast put it into the hearts of thy dear ones in America to erect this lighthouse in Havre, that our poor shipwrecked souls may be guided safely into port/ " These are the kind of parting salutations and prayers which daily drop from the lips of grateful sailors. When any- thing occurs which prevents my seeing them as they are leaving port, they often send me a written expression of their grati- tude. The following is a specimen : AMERICAN SEAMEN. 71 " ' The crew of the brig Hero, of Scarborough, desire to return sincere thanks to the minister of the Mariners' church, for the kind instructions they have received during their stay at Havre ; also for the privilege of the reading-room ; and desire the prayers of the minister and congregation for their safe arrival at their native land. (Signed) John Matthews, John Olliver, Robert Horn, Robert Jackson, Samuel Simmons, Stephen Otterbourn, John Richards/ "Now, who, on hearing such expression of gratitude and such prayers, could not exclaim from the heart, ' It is more blessed to give than to receive ' ? "THE SHIP 'SWITZERLAND.' " This ship, of Boston, arrived in this port about two weeks since, when the crew, as might be expected of a temperance vessel, soon found their way to the chapel. She is certainly a fine ship, and manned with a noble set of men. Every man has his Bible, and a good supply of tracts and temperance almanacks for distribution ; together with a library of useful books. On their arrival here, true to their principles, and resolving to keep out of the way of temptation, they traversed the streets of Havre in hopes of finding a Sailors' Home where the accursed poison was not permitted to enter, and where they could take their Bibles and books, and spend their leisure hours like rational men ; but to the shame of the Chris- tian world be it told, no such place in Havre could be found. They finally rented a little shed in an obscure place, where they hoped to remain undisturbed ; but the rain coming down in torrents drove them out. They had no alternative, therefore, but to seek shelter in one of those misnomers called ' Sailors' boarding-houses, 3 selecting, of course, the most decent, if it be not a paradox to speak of decency keeping company with rum, gin, and brandy. But they have manfully resisted every temptation thus far, honoured their profession, and have been active in doing good ; and with all my heart shall I welcome 72 TREASURED MOMENTS. them back to this port. The Lord increase the number of such men and such vessels. " SAILORS MAKE GOOD MISSIONARIES. "Last Thursday evening, being our stated evening for preaching, I was met at the door of the chapel by a lady, who informed me that a crew of twenty-five sailors were in the house, just brought into port by the American ship, Austerlitz, from the wreck of an English vessel. She observed, that on meeting them in the street, on her way to meeting, she inquired of them where they were going. ' We are going to the chapel/ replied one, 'to return thanks to God for our deliverance/ On entering the house, it was truly an affecting sight to see them all seated in a body, with solemn counte- nances and emaciated looks, there to raise their Ebenezers to God for delivering mercy. After preaching, during which I endeavoured to take advantage of this providence of God to give efficacy and power to his word, and shape my remarks to suit their condition, I expressed a desire to hear from some one of them an account of their perils and deliverance ; upon which, John Wilson, the second mate and a pious man, gave a brief but affecting statement of the entire loss of the ship Eliza, of London, with her cargo, in a tremendous gale, twenty days out from Quebec, homeward bound, with a crew of twenty- five men and one passenger ; who, after remaining four days and five nights on the wreck, with but little to sustain life, were all providentially taken off by the Austerlitz, just as the vessel was going to pieces and going down. I have seen and conversed with most of them since Thursday. Some are deeply impressed, and resolved, in their own language, ' to cut cable and swing clear of every vice, and suffer no more poison to go down their hatches/ We furnished each one with a Testament, which they promised faithfully and prayer- fully to read ; and last night I distributed among them one hundred francs, put into my hand? by a benevolent individual AMERICAN SEAMEN. 73 for their benefit, with the stipulation that not one sous was to be laid out for strong drink. On asking one of them how they found their way to the chapel so soon, they having never been in this port before, he pointed to one of the tars of the Switzerland ; ' That Yankee boy/ said he, ' was hunting about for poor sailors to bring to the house of God, and met us just as we landed ; and I bless God and thank him that he has led us to this house to-night/ Truly, thought I, a Christian sailor makes a good missionary. Let every vessel that floats be supplied with Bibles, and tracts, and useful books, and every sailor a Christian, and it's an entering wedge to all nations under heaven ; the highway of the Lord is then prepared for the speedy redemption of the world. Who, then, that loves the prosperity of Zion, and prays, ' Thy kingdom come/ can look with indifference upon the cause of seamen ? "Sailors desire and need our prayers; and there are some who can pray for us. " In entering the chapel on Monday evening, the evening of our stated prayer-meetings, in which pious sailors take a part, I discovered the crew of the unfortunate ship Eliza, all seated in their places, and among them many new faces. The object for especial prayer this evening was, the blessing of God upon afflicted and distressed seamen. On entering the pulpit I found upon the Bible a note addressed to myself, which I read to the congregation as follows : " ' The crew of the ship New Orleans desire the prayers of Christians in their afflictions, having lost at sea a respected shipmate, Samuel Purrinton, who, while at the helm, was washed overboard in a heavy gale on the 6th instant, as the ship was lying to. By complying with this request, you will greatly oblige the crew, and we will return you our many and hearty thanks. In behalf of the crew and myself, Yours, &c., H. POPELL/ " Surely, thought I, sailors do need our prayers, for they are 74) TREASURED MOMENTS. in jeopardy, soul and body, every hour. Adding a few remarks, I called upon John Wilson, the pious mate of the lost ship, to pray. I had never heard him, and felt no little anxiety about the result, for the house was unusually solemn, and I dreaded anything that would divert the attention ; but a few words convinced all that he was no stranger at the throne of grace, or to that book that guides sinners there. His manner was grave and dignified ; his language good, but not studied ; his voice low and solemn. A breathless silence pervaded the whole assembly, and never have I witnessed such an impres- sion left on the minds of an audience as when he arose from his knees. ' It is no wonder/ said a young man of the world in a whispering tone, as he passed me at the close of the meeting, ' it is no wonder that the crew of the unfortunate Eliza could not be lost, when she had on board a man that prays like John Wilson. ' " THE PRODIGAL SAILOR RETURNING TO HIS FATHER'S " HOUSE. "Havre, July 22nd, 1841. "DEAR SIR, When in the United States, I was urged by many friends to write more frequently for the 'Sailor's Magazine ; ' particularly to furnish from time to time such narratives and facts as might have a tendency to awaken deeper sympathy in the minds of Christians in behalf of seamen, and to incite them to greater efforts and more importunate prayers for their salvation. " The following is a brief sketch of the life and character of a sailor, and of his recent conversion to God, the account of which I had from his own lips ; and, while it strikingly exhibits the patience and long-suffering of God towards the sinner, it no less magnifies the exceeding riches of his grace in his salvation. "Should you think it worthy a place in your Magazine, you . AMERICAN SEAMEN. 75 arc at liberty to insert it, reserving only the name of the individual, who, for many obvious reasons, requests that it may not at this time be given to the public. "William P., the subject of this memoir, was born in Wales, June 28th, 1816, of very respectable and pious parents. When quite a lad, his father removed to one of the large commercial seaports in England, where his children were necessarily exposed to many of the temptations and vices peculiar to large cities, the effects of which soon be- came too apparent in the disposition and conduct of young William. At a very early age he became associated with wicked and profligate boys, and though often restrained and reproved, he hardened his neck, and became every day more and more deaf to the voice of parental authority, until, throw- ing off all restraint, he became the leader of the most reckless and abandoned youth in the city. Often did his father talk, and reason, and plead with him, follow him into the streets, and cry after him with many tears, but all to no purpose. His peaceful and quiet home was exchanged for the gin-shops ; the viands of his father's table for such food as he could steal or beg in the streets ; the sweets of home, the society of affectionate brothers and sisters, the caresses of parental love, the privilege of bowing with them at the family altar, were all, all abandoned for the revellings and midnight carousals of the brothel. Such was his precocity in all manner of wickedness, and so rapid were his strides towards ruin, that before he had reached the age of fifteen, entire weeks would elapse without his ever sleeping under the paternal roof. " Thirteen times had he been imprisoned in Bridewell for drunkenness, petty larceny, and disorderly conduct, and three times in the common gaol, awaiting the assizes. Once, in the street, he cut from a lady's arm her reticule, and ran off with its contents. At another time, on returning from one of his bacchanalian riots, he offered his father a piece of gold coin ; but he, bursting into tears, exclaimed, ' No, Billy, I can't take 76 TREASURED MOMENTS. it ; I know you did not come honestly by it/ At another time, in searching for him among the haunts of vice, his father found him with his bosom full of silver spoons, when struggling to break away, saying, ' Let me go/ ' No, my dear son/ exclaimed the almost frantic father, 'I cannot let you go ; you have a soul to be saved/ Thus did this poor broken- hearted father spend many days in crying in the streets after this prodigal son, and much of the night in crying to God to have mercy on his soul. But it all seemed like ploughing on a rock. " When he had arrived at the age of sixteen, and becoming every day more restive under the repeated admonitions of his anxious father, as well as the more stern rebukes of the civil authorities, he determined to seek refuge on the high seas, as a sailor before the mast. His first voyage was to South America. But to follow him through all the details of his wayward and wicked life, for the many years he has been a sailor, would extend this article beyond its proposed limits. Suffice it to say that, to use his own language, he rarely ever made a whole voyage agreeably to contract, but would leave the ship, and run away the first opportunity, seeking in every city the deepest and darkest dens of pollution in which to spend his time and his money. Whenever his voyage or inclination led him home, he was supplied with religious books and a Bible, but he never returned with them, nor did he ever read them. And whenever his father could hear of him in distant lands, he would write him the most affecting letters, directing his mind to some striking passages of Scripture, and beseeching him, with many tears, to be reconciled to God, and take the Bible as his guide. Some of these letters I read with my own eyes, and the persuasive language, and melting tones that dilated every sentence, evinced the yearnings of a fond father over the living ruins of an almost hopeless son. ' But, for all this, he sinned still/ " For seven long years was he a vagabond in the United States, or prowling about her shores ; sometimes in a fishing- AMERICAN SEAMEN. 77 smack, on the banks of Newfoundland ; then in a coaster, fleeing from justice ; or wending his way, in by-paths, from one city to another. At one time he enlisted as a sailor on board a revenue cutter, but while lying at Charleston, South Caro- lina, during the ' nullification excitement/ he made his escape into the country ; but hunger and famine soon brought him out of his lurking-places, and he sought shelter once more in the purlieus of a city. But, like the troubled sea that cannot rest, he was soon afloat again, bound for New Orleans. There he again left his ship, and ascended the Mississippi to the mouth of the Red River, where he became associated with a gang of those lawless desperadoes that infest the southern and western waters. After roving about for some time in search of booty, seeking rest and finding none, and being destitute of every lawful means of sustenance, ' he began to be in want/ and, like another prodigal, 'went and joined himself to a citizen of that country / not, however, to feed swine, but to cut wood, to feed the many steamboats that ply on that river. And it was on the banks of that sluggish stream, in the deep forests of that lonely land, far from his country, his kindred, or his home, that he began to reflect seriously upon his past life. His thoughts, as if propelled by some irresistible power, carried him back to the scenes of his childhood : he remem- bered the caresses of a doting mother, the prayers of a much- injured father, and the deep anguish with which his impiety 'had wrung their hearts. He thought, too, of the blessings and privileges of a peaceful and quiet home, which he had so long and so wantonly abused ; nor did his conscience allow him to forget, that for all these things God would bring him into judgment. And though his convictions of sin, as com- mitted against a pure and holy God, seemed as yet to be neither clear nor strong, yet was he often compelled to fall on his knees in secret, and ask God what he must do to be saved. Thus it was, by this train of reflections, that he ' came to him- self ; ' and remembering that in his father's house there was ' bread enough and to spare/ he said, ' I will arise and go to 78 TREASURED MOMENTS. my father/ Laying aside his axe, and taking, for once, an honourable leave of his employer, he returned to New Orleans, where he shipped to Baltimore ; here sickness confined him for some weeks in the hospital, during which time he was visited, in common with others, by the seamen's chaplain, the Rev. J. Smith ; and though he paid a respectful attention to his religious instructions, yet so little did he feel his guilt and danger as a sinner, and his need of a Saviour, that he suffered these opportunities to pass away without opening his heart to the minister, or even asking an interest in his prayers. " On his recovery, his mind seemed more unsettled, and his resolution to return home evidently weakened. He finally went east, and determined on one more fishing expedition to the banks of Newfoundland. Before sailing, however, from Marblehead, he met there with a Mrs. Berry, a pious woman, who talked to him about his soul, and gave him some tracts and much kind and motherly advice. In passing through the streets one day, making preparations to embark, he discovered, among some rubbish from a cellar, an old Bible, which, as he stopped to pick up, he said to his companions, in half-jest, ' I believe I'll take this Bible to sea/ little realising that within the lids of that book was contained the perfect law ' that con- verteth the soul/ and in which lay concealed the very ' sword of the Spirit/ by which he was to be slain. With this Bible and a few tracts in his chest, he entered upon his second voyage to Newfoundland. When but a few days at sea, his attention to eternal realities was once more arrested by the reading of a tract entitled 'The Sinner is his own Destroyer/ But though his mind became somewhat impressed, and his conscience evidently awakened, from the perusal of this tract, yet it was left for a passage from that old Bible to perform the great work of bringing him low and submissive at the foot of the cross. ' Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way' was the arrow selected from the Almighty's quiver. This was the word of God that made him tremble ; the hammer that broke the rock, and the sword of the Spirit that slew the man. Being AMERICAN SEAMEN. 79 thus wounded and slain by the law, and, like Paul, trembling and astonished, he began, like him, to cry, ' Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? ' And though there was no Ananias on board to teach him, yet God, who had made this man a chosen vessel unto himself, had in his mercy provided a substitute ; for, strange to tell, on that vessel he found ' Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul/ which, of all uninspired books, was the one he needed the very Ananias that could lead him to the fountain of living waters ; and it was when reading this book that there seemed to fall from his eyes as it had been scales. The way to be saved seemed now plain and easy : old things passed away, and all things became new. Christ, who but yesterday had no form or comeliness, appeared now the chief of ten thousand, and altogether lovely. And now did he say, with full purpose of heart, ' I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee/ And no sooner does he return to Marblehead than he is seen, with a quick step and a light and joyous heart, on his way to Boston, where he hopes to find a vessel bound to his native shore. Disappointed, how- ever, in this, he shipped on board the William and John for Apalachicola, and from thence he came to Havre, where he arrived on the 22nd of last June. During the few days he remained in this city he spent much of his time in the chapel and reading-room, with his Bible and Christian friends; and where, in the several interviews I had with him, he narrated, with tearful eyes and becoming modesty, this simple and touching story of his past life. After leaving this city, and since he arrived at home, he has written me an affecting letter, in which he attempts to describe the joys of a father's heart, and the tears that rolled down the furrowed cheeks of the poor old man, as he fell upon the neck and embraced this his son, who ' was dead and is alive again, was lost and now is found.' 80 TREASURED MOMENTS. " SAY YOUR PRAYERS IN FAIR WEATHER. "Havre, May 5th, 1842. " DEAR SIR, In preaching, last Sabbath, on the subject of prayer, I incidentally remarked, that as there were certain birds that never made a noise, except at the approach of bad weather, so there were many nominal Christians who never prayed, unless at the approach or in the midst of some tem- poral calamity, or, in other words, they were only foul-weather Christians. After dismissing the audience, a lady came for- ward, taking from her reticule a letter from a pious clergyman in Ireland, remarking that it contained a very remarkable incident illustrative of the sermon which I had just preached, and requested me to read it ; in doing so, I was so struck with the thrilling incident, and the singular coincidence, that I begged an extract for your Magazine ; and if it interests you as it has me, I am sure you will give it a place in its columns. " EXTRACT. " Returning by the Belfast night-coach from the Dublin clerical meetings to my distant parish in the north, I found myself placed opposite to a gentlemnn, whose appearance engrossed rather than attracted my most profound attention. His age, as he afterwards told me, was sixty, and perhaps I should have conjectured as much, although exposure to weather, cares, anxieties, and dangers, with a certain air of seriousness, which seemed as it were to preside over all, spoke more than the effects of time the progress of my fellow- traveller's earthly pilgrimage. In truth, his countenance was such as no observant physiognomist could contemplate with- out interest, nor mark its amiable and diversified expression without respect and love. The coach in which we sat had scarcely cleared the pavement, and was rolling along the silent highway, when my companion addressed me with great ease AMERICAN SEAMEN. 81 and politeness. A few minutes suffice*! to show that the predominating sentiment of his heart was religion. His con- versation was almost exclusively of that character ; and as he poured out the rich stores of gospel truth and experience from the exhaustless treasury of a converted soul, the night insen- sibly wore away, and the sun was long risen, as we changed horses at the last stage. Little more than an hour remained, and I must part, probably for ever, from the man by whose conversation I had been inexpressibly captivated. I felt, as may be easily conceived, a strong desire to learn his history, and thus fix more permanently on my mind the impression he had made. He had already told me that he had com- manded a vessel between Liverpool and America. Accord- ingly I asked him whether the turning of his heart to God had been caused by any sudden danger, or was of gradual growth ? My question seemed to please him, and he replied to it with the utmost courtesy. " ' Near the close of the late war/ said he, ' I was waiting in port with a fleet of other merchantmen, tih 1 a convoy should arrive, it being unsafe to sail without such protection. My habits/ observed he, ' had always been exceedingly irregular to give them no stronger term, and I passed the period of detention in practices that I cannot look back upon without shame and sorrow. At length the signal to weigh anchor was made. My ship, like many others, was so short of hands, that I was glad to accept of any man that offered, however inexperienced. At the moment of departure a boat came alongside, out of which a tall robust man climbed actively upon the deck, and gave himself in as a seaman willing to engage for the voyage. The wind was blowing almost a gale, and under such circumstances I was glad to get even the addition of one equivocal hand to my scanty crew. This pleasure, however, was of short duration. This new- comer was soon found to be of a most quarrelsome, untractable disposition, a furious blasphemer, and when opportunity offered a drunkard. Besides all these disqualifications he 82 TREASURED MOMENTS. was wholly ignorant of nautical affairs, or, if not, feigned him- self so in order to escape duty. In short, he was the curse arid plague of the vessel, and refused obstinately to give any account of himself, his family, or his past life. At length a violent storm arose, all hands were called on deck, and too few, as I thought, to save the ship. When the men were all mustered to their quarters, behold, the sturdy blasphemer was missing ; and on going below to seek him, what was my surprise at finding him on his knees repeating the Lord's Prayer, with wonderful rapidity, over and over again, as if he had bound himself to countless recitations. Vexed at what I believed hypocrisy or cowardice, I shook him roughly by the collar, exclaiming, " Say your prayers in fair weather ! " He rose up, observing in a low voice, " God grant I may ever see fair weather to say them/' In a few hours the storm abated, and another week brought us into port. I immediately paid this man off, and he disappeared ; and the incidents of the voyage, so trivial in their nature, were soon effaced from my recol- lection. Four years passed away, during which time I was twice shipwrecked, and once badly hurt by the falling of a spar, yet I persevered in a life of profligacy and contempt of G*od. At the end of this period I sailed from England for the port of New York, and after a very heavy and tedious voyage entered that port on a Sabbath morning. The streets were thronged with multitudes on their way to the many churches with which that city abounds. But I was bent on a very different occupation ; detennining to drown the recollection of perils and deliverances in a celebrated tavern, which I had too long and too often frequented. As I was walking leisurely toward this haunt, I was met by a very dear friend, the quondam associate of many a thoughtless hour. After our greetings and salutations were over, I seized him by the arm, saying, " You shall come along with me to the tavern ! " " I will do so/' replied he, " on condition that you come with me first, for a single hour, into this house (pointing to a church), and thank God for all his mercies to you on the deep." I was AMERICAN SEAMEN. 83 ashamed to refuse, so we both entered the church together ; a dense crowd filled the seats, and even the aisles ; after much difficulty we succeeded in reaching a position right in front of the pulpit, and about five, yards distant from the preacher. My attention was soon riveted, as was all that vast assembly ; and the features and voice of the preacher, though I could assign no time or place of previous meeting, yet seemed not wholly unknown, particularly when he spoke with animation. At length the preacher's eyes fell upon the spot where we stood. He suddenly paused, still gazing upon me, as if to make himself sure that he laboured under no optical delusion, and then, with a voice that seemed to shake the building, he cried out, "Say your prayers in fair weather!" The whole audience seemed lost in amazement, and considerable time elapsed before the preacher himself sufficiently recovered self- possession to recount the incidents that had led to this thrilling scene. He at length told the whole story ; and remarked, with deep emotion, "that the words which his captain had uttered in the storm four years ago, and who now stood before him, had clung to him by day and by night after his landing, as if an angel had been charged with the duty of repeating them in his ears ; and feeling the holy call as coming directly from above, to do the work of his Master, he immediately entered upon the study of the ministry ; and that he now was, through grace, such as they saw and heard." At the conclusion of this affecting address, he called on the audience to join him in prayer, that the same words might be blessed in turn to him who had first used them. But (continued this captain in his narration) God had outrun their petitions; for, before the preacher had finished the recital of the story, I felt my hard heart melting under the mighty workings of God's Spirit, bringing down high looks and lofty imaginations, and subduing within me everything that exalteth itself against God. So that when the assembly was dismissed I willingly exchanged the tavern for the house of the preacher, where I tarried six weeks, and then parted with my spiritual father and spiritual 84 TBEASURED MOMENTS. son, and with a heart which has ever since sought and found its pleasures only in the service of my Saviour ; and have, for the most part, enjoyed those holy and happy assurances which advancing years have only hallowed, and strengthened, and sanctified/ " The above is an extract, and it needs no comment of mine. I would only say to all who are living in the sunshine of prosperity, to all who are calculating upon a deathbed repent- ance, to the youth who are waiting for a more convenient season, to the rich who fare sumptuously every day, and to all who are now sailing on a smooth unruffled sea, Say your prayers in fair weather ! "ORIGIN OF THE SEAMEN'S CHAPEL, AT HAVRE. " On entering public life, nothing was more foreign to my purpose than that of labouring among seamen ; and, so far as human foresight and calculation could go, the probabilities of an open door to such a field lessened as time rolled on. Happily settled over a church that had grown up from infancy under my ministry, where mutual affection and attachment had something of the nature and strength of family ties why should these ties be broken? What could ever sunder the cords that bound us together ? But man seeth not as God seeth ; ' The way of man is not in himself/ " Being a child of providence from my birth, and so accus- tomed to be led, that I was scarcely able to walk alone, and always so kindly cared for, that I hardly needed to care for myself, while in vigorous health and the pastor of a loved and loving people, to have spoken of a separation would have shocked my sensibilities about as much as to speak of the separation of husband and wife. But to prepare me for such a trial, and as if to familiarise my mind to the event, God laid his hand upon me, first gently, then more heavily ; till in language not to be mistaken, the command came, 'Arise, depart, for this is not your rest/ Extensive travels had been ENGLISH AND ASIEBICAX SEAMEN'S CHAPEL, HAVBE, FKAXCE. AMERICAN SEAMEN. 87 resorted to, and every means used, by my dear people, to restore my wasted energies, and lift me up to a working con- dition ; but all in vain. Relatives, friends, and physicians were brought, however reluctantly, to one and the same con- clusion that if health was ever found, it must be sought in a foreign clime. A voyage to China was proposed, the church furnishing supplies, and holding the pulpit in reserve for me on my return ; but this was declined ; for experience had already taught me, that my restless disposition required some- thing to do, and that the idea of wandering about in idleness, in search of health, a mere blank in the world, was so repugnant to my nature as to counteract all the good that could be hoped for from long voyages. This was not the path in which I could ever find health ; ' Give me something to do/ was my cry ; ' if not strength enough to lif} a Bible, can I not lift a tract ? If too weak to preach to the great congregation, may I not tell the story of the cross in some small room ? ' " While debating these questions, intelligence came that the Seamen's Friend Society, at New York, were in search of a chaplain for the port of Havre, France. May not that be the hospital appointed of God, in which health may be found ? was the question that thrilled many a heart. Prayers and sup- plication for guidance were daily offered up, till the twilight became a meridian sun, and the finger of God pointed almost visibly to Havre. Packing trunks and boxing books became now the order of the day, and in the spring of 1836 I left Louisville, Kentucky, with my family, for France. The excitement and fatigue attendant upon such a move were too much for my worn-out frame and shattered nerves. Scarcely had I reached New York and greeted my friends some of whom were scared almost into fits, at meeting the ghost of one whose obituary they had just read,* when I was seized with a * It is a singular fact, that in one of my last attacks of illness, at Louisville, under the influence of Croton oil, I was thought to be dying ; Sabbath school children, who were calling to inquire for me, reported it. Steamers took the intelligence to Cincinnati, the papers reported me dead ; then the obituary followed, in a Tennessee newspaper. 88 TREASURED MOMENTS. violent fever, and for twenty-seven days my life hung in doubt ; two physicians were in attendance ; and, through the mercy of the great Physician, was once more raised up, taken on board a ship bound to Liverpool, then by land to Southampton, arriving in Havre the last of July. On the voyage was taken with an intermittent fever, which so shook the flesh from my bones, that the few friends of sailors at Havre were quite crest-fallen, and exclaimed, ' They have sent us a man to bury' But ' God's ways are not our ways/ Throwing away my lancet and vial of calomel, which had been my constant companions for years, with proper diet and exercise, and a little French ordinaire, in the course of eighteen months I was brought out as good as new ; nor has there been a lancet in my arm since, nor a grain of calomel in my mouth. Under God, I owe my life to this transfer from Louisville to Havre. My labours multiplied as my strength increased ; and from a little room in a narrow alley, where I began my work, I was soon driven to the most commodious that could be obtained ; and, in less than two years more, still larger accommodations were needed, as will be seen by the following extract taken from a magazine, published in 1838 : " ' It was stated in our last Annual Report, that a new chapel-room, larger and more commodious than that formerly occupied, had been provided, and a larger congregation than ever assembling from Sabbath to Sabbath. These anticipa- tions have been more than realised. The place has been thronged, and become literally too strait for the multitudes who have crowded there to hear the word of God in a language they could understand. Nor has the preached word been ineffectual, for there is reason to believe that God has merci- fully set his seal to the word dispensed, and fruit has been found which will endure to everlasting life. The necessity of better accommodation for seamen at Havre was adverted to in our last Report, and this subject is now pressing upon us with renewed weight. In February last the shipmasters and mates of the vessels then at Havre voluntarily put into the AMERICAN SEAMEN. 89 hands of Mr. Sawtell a paper signed by twenty-eight ship- masters and fifty mates, on the subject of a larger and better chapel for seamen at that port ; in the course of which they make the following remarks : " ' We appeal to the sympathies of the philanthropist, the patriot, and, above all, to the Christian. Father, mother, brother, or sister, will you sacrifice a few pence to the cause of seamen, your own children, and brethren, and friends, or will you sacrifice seamen to the god of this world? Having seen the little room, now occupied as a chapel, filled to overflowing always on the Sabbath, and well attended on other occasions, we are of opinion that this station should not only be maintained, but a chapel should be immediately built sufficiently large to accommodate from six hundred to one thousand persons. " ' Nor are sailors alone benefited by the labours of our chaplain at Havre, for while he is dispensing the " word of the kingdom " to seamen, a multitude of residents understand- ing the English language flock around him, and catch the truth from his lips ; and the estimation in which these privileges are held by the people, may be seen from the con- sideration of a few facts. The depressed state of our finances had led the Committee to believe it necessary to appoint some person to the office of Financial Secretary of the Society, who should become a permanent officer in the board, and devote his whole time to the work of raising funds. After much consideration on the subject, the Rev. Mr. Sawtell, our chaplain at Havre, was appointed to that office last November, and measures were immediately adopted to procure a successor for him at Havre. But as soon as the thing became known there, the residents, alarmed at the prospect of parting with a minister to whom they had become attached, and whose ministry was not only acceptable, but had been signally blessed among them, rose up, to the number of more than one hundred, and signed a remonstrance, beseeching the Committee to allow Mr. Sawtell to remain with them. Under such circum- stances the Committee could not but consent to relinquish 90 TREASURED MOMENTS. their claim upon him for his permanent services in this country ; requesting only that he should spend a few months with us to aid us in overcoming our present embarrassments. This arrangement was very readily acceded to on their part, and from this time it is expected that the residents at Havre will regularly assist in the support of a chaplain at that place/ " Agreeable to the above arrangement, I embarked with my family for America early in the spring of 1840 ; spending a year in incessant travel and toil, endeavouring to stir up the churches on the subject of the seamen's cause. To say nothing of the gleanings or more remote results of that year's work, its immediate fruits were the bringing away ten thousand dollars (2,000/.) for building an American and English Seamen's Chapel at Havre. "The following letter, written at the time of breaking ground for this chapel, may not be uninteresting to some. It is dated Havre, April 26th, 1842 : " 'My dear Sir, I am now happy in being able to inform you and, through you, the public, that after almost a year's painful suspense and delay, we have at length broken ground for our new chapel ; and I doubt if Herschel himself ever gazed with more exquisite delight upon a newly-discovered planet, than I did to-day upon some half-dozen men, with spades and mattocks, and their sleeves rolled up to their elbows, digging and spading up the soil of Louis Philippe's domains, preparing to lay the foundation of the American Seamen's Chapel. This chapel is to form quite an era in the Evangelical Protestant cause here in Havre. It finds favour in the eyes of many whom I little expected, and has produced no small stir, even among those " who make silver shrines for Diana." " ' The building is to be completed the 31st day of October next ; the contractor forfeiting 100 dollars per day after that time. This includes everything but pulpit and pews, which will also be ready for putting up immediately after the com- AMERICAN SEAMEN. 91 pletion of the building. We had hoped to have limited the contractor to four months ; but, on binding him over " to keep the Sabbath-day holy," and that not so much as the sound of a hammer must be heard upon the chapel-walls on that holy day, he seemed determined to lengthen out the time as far as possible, by way of showing the great loss we sustain in keeping the Sabbath. " ' Knowing the difficulty of pleasing everybody in locating a house for public worship, particularly with limited means that forbid the selection of the most central position, the Committee have endeavoured to seek and to aim only at the general good, particularly of that class for which it is more especially designed ; having an eye, at the same time, to the prospective changes and enlargement of the city. Hence, we have spared no pains in consulting the views of American shipmasters, and other intelligent men, who have manifested an interest in the object, on the subject of locating this chapel ; and the opinion has been unanimous, that a more eligible site could not be had anywhere in or about Havre, than the one we have obtained. It is a little way out of the walls of the city, in a still, quiet spot ; and one only needs to witness for a single Sabbath the noise, and bustle, and distraction of this Sabbath-breaking city, to know how to appreciate such a spot, where we can worship God without distraction. We also design to reserve and keep open our present reading-room, which is directly on the wharf, as a comfortable place of resort for the evenings, and for holding prayer-meetings through the week ; thus doing away the only possible objection that anyone could make to the new chapel, that of being too far for the sailor to attend the reading-room after a hard day's work. Our sexton, also, who is a pious young man, and capable of con- ducting religious meetings, will continue to live at the old reading-room, to visit boarding-houses and ships, distribute Bibles and tracts, collect sailors into the evening prayer- meetings through the week, and lead them forth to the new and more commodious house on the Sabbath ; thus instead of 92 TREASURED MOMENTS. one we shall have two lights shining in a dark place. I have been thus particular and minute, because I think it due to my American friends who have so generously contributed to this object. I would further remark, that the whole building is planned upon principles of the most rigid economy, uniting the essentials of durability, convenience, and extreme plain- ness, forming a perfect contrast with the sculptured marble, the painted canvas, and gorgeous tinsel that dazzle the eye on entering a temple of image worship. Stone being but a little more expensive than brick, we build the front of the former, and the remainder of the latter material. We build it without galleries, but upon a plan that will admit them whenever they become necessary. From our present estimates, we shall not be much over one thousand dollars in debt when everything is completed that is, after what we shall be able to collect here ; and I have no fear but that the friends of seamen will cheer- fully meet such a debt. And now, in conclusion, I cannot refrain from acknowledging the great relief my own mind has experienced in the commencement of this work. Never have I spent a year of such unmitigated anxiety as the past. The responsibility of having such an amount of public funds in my hands, and in such critical times, too, that no one could divine when or where it was safe, and the unexpected difficulties that have been thrown in the way of commencing the work altogether, has held my mind under a pressure more crushing and overwhelming than any similar thing I have ever ex- perienced ; but now I begin to breathe more freely, and will only add, that if the actual possession of money produces a hundredth part the anxiety of mind that the mere care of it does, I can easily conceive that a hump-backed camel will find no more difficulty in passing through the eye of a needle than a rich man in entering the kingdom of heaven ; and that there would be as much wisdom in binding bags of sand about one's ankles to speed his flight in a race, as in attempting to win heaven with bags of gold, crushing him to the ground like a beast of burden ; and those who have their eye upon AMERICAN SEAMEN. 93 the celestial crown, instead of waiting to be begged, I do indeed wonder that they do not beg every man they meet just to take as much of the filthy stuff off their backs as can be converted to any good use. " ' I shall inform you from time to time of the progress of tilings at Havre. " ' Yours truly, etc/ " Ground being very expensive, it was found, on completing the chapel, that a debt of nearly 1,500 dollars (^3 00) remained upon it. I at once repaired to London, stated the case from several pulpits to British Christians. Their hearts kindled into a flame : pounds, shillings, and pence passed so rapidly from their pockets to mine, that in a few weeks I was able to return and wipe out the debt ; and on the 27th of November, 1842, preached tRe Dedication Sermon, consecrating this chapel to the service and worship of the ONE LIVING AND TRUE GOD, FATHER, SON, AND HOLY GHOST. As at Louis- ville, so I thought now 'I AM SETTLED FOR LIFE.' But, alas ! new and unlooked-for trials awaited me. The ease with which the money for building this chapel seemed to have been collected, drew upon me the eyes of some of our national societies, causing me to be pressed on all sides to enter into what was considered a wider field. They reasoned thus, If 10,000 dollars can be gathered up in so short a time, for a mere local object, what amount could he not raise for a society, whose field was the world ! For a year or so I staved off these appeals, resolving not to be moved ; but being sorely pressed, and fearing to take the entire responsibility of deciding the question, I threw it upon Christian friends and members of the different boards to decide for me. It was decided against me, or rather, against my inclination. I had promised to obey; and on the 16th of October, 1843, passed through another fiery ordeal in tearing myself from a loved and weeping people, and from spiritual children, who refused to be comforted, and once more afloat for the New World, to 94 TREASURED MOMENTS. become co-secretary with Rev. Dr. Baird in the Foreign Evangelical Society, now called FOREIGN CHRISTIAN UNION. "This separation was the more trying, as it was in the midst of a most interesting reviving spirit that seemed to have commenced at the very time the chapel was dedicated. " The following extract taken from a magazine published that year will show the state of mind and anguish of soul that this separation cost. I trust I shall be excused for quoting this little item of the much, that was then written and said on the subject : " ' The chapel for seamen was completed and dedicated to divine worship November 27. The presence of God seemed at once to descend and fill the place. Seamen and citizens crowded to worship, and the Holy Spirit accom- panied the preaching with his converting power. At this time Mr. Sawtell received a call to another department of labour; and through fear that he would leave them, the members of his congregation addressed a letter to the Board, an extract of which will show the character of this work, and the estimation in which he was held in that city : " ' But now that the erection of the American church is the occasion of an unhoped-for revival, such as your country has often witnessed, but which hitherto has been unknown in this place ; now that we see not only seamen of all classes, but numerous citizens of every rank in society crowding to the church, anxious to hear the Word of God expounded ; now that numbers of Mr. Sawtell's hearers, whose piety had till then laid dormant, suddenly awakened, to arise and set to work in the Lord's vineyard with an energy which can only be the gift of the Holy Spirit; when, gentlemen, we witness such effects of Mr. S/s labours, how can we remain silent ? Oh, that you could but see the changes produced in this place by the means of the man you have sent hither!' " On this, my second return to America, I entered upon a field of labour that taxed all iny powers for some AMERICAN SEAMEN. 95 seven years. When I began again to fail in strength, and my voice giving unmistakable indications of being over- worked, I was induced to enter another field, in which it was thought both my 'strength and voice might be improved, and my life prolonged the establishment of Normal Schools for Female Education.* " While putting one seminary into successful operation, this Havre child was deserted and left in a state of orphanage. The yearnings of a father for a loved child took possession of my heart ; and my health once more requiring the invigorating air of France, and my love for preaching the gospel, all seemed as so many indices pointing in the same direction. The question was finally settled that I return to my former field ; and on the 25th of December, 1854, sailed once more for Europe. The following letter was written and published in February, immediately on our arrival : " ' FORTY DAYS AMID OCEAN GALES. BOISTEROUS VOYAGE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. " 'Havre, France, Feb. I0th, 1855. " ' DEAR BR., On the morning of the 25th of December last, I embarked at New York on board the new and splendid ship, Francis A. Palmer, with my family, bound to this port, and with every prospect of a short and pleasant passage. The day seemed propitious, the air soft and balmy as the zephyrs of spring ; the sun shone bright, and smiled benignantly upon us. Everything indicated comfort, cheerful- ness, and happiness, save the unbidden tears that in despite of resolves would steal from their sealed fountains and moisten the eye, as one dear friend after another would seize the hand, and struggle hard to utter that unutterable word, farewell ! " ' On reaching Sandy Hook, the noble ship was absolved from all connection with steam power, and thrown solely upon * See the address on the establishment of a Female Seminary at Cleveland, Ohio, in Book IV. 96 TREASURED MOMENTS. her own resources for locomotion and the power to advance ; her canvas unfurled, she began to battle it fiercely with every opposing element; and for forty days and forty nights, struggled manfully with contrary winds, squalls and gales, storms of rain and hail, and thunder and lightning ; all of which were brought into requisition in this terrible strife for the mastery, and as if to test her courage, her strength, and her powers of endurance. " ' On reaching the mouth of the British Channel, it was an interesting sight, as we ascended on deck one morning, to behold some thirty or more vessels, nestled together, as if to sympathise with each other in the terrible struggle through which they had just passed, and to form some alliance for mutual safety, or for further aggressive operations ; but it was all in vain. The winds, which had partially lulled to sleep, apparently vanquished, were like a jaded enemy, retiring from an open field-fight, into some deep gorge of the mountains, to secure a more advantageous position, gain strength, and renew the assault. The next morning, not a sail was in sight, the contrary winds had risen in their might, and like a giant, drunk with new wine, had scattered these frail barks hither and thither, driving them back to sea like a thing of naught. Left once more alone, our noble ship, for some ten days, con- tested ever inch of the way, up the channel, and even after taking on a pilot, and coming in sight of Havre. We were some five days before we could make the port. A steamer was sent out to tow us in, but impossible she offered to take the passengers, but such was the pitching and tossing of the vessel, we could not be transferred to the steamer. Packages of letters and papers, however, were exchanged, in which we received the assurances of the many prayers that were going up to heaven on our behalf, and the warm congratulations and greetings that awaited us on shore ; and begging us, on reaching the city, to accept their hospitality, without going to any hotel. On Saturday morning, another steamer is seen nearing our ship, and the gale having spent its strength, we were taken in tow, and as we were gliding gently into the AMERICAN SEAMEN, 97 Havre docks, the sun suddenly broke forth from the clouds and smiled with as much warmth and benignity on us, as it had just forty days before, when gliding out of the beautiful bay of New York. " ' Amid the crowds of human beings that lined the wharfs, the uncovering of heads and the waving of handkerchiefs pointed out to us those warm-hearted Christian friends who have so long been pleading and praying for our return. Soon we feel the warm beatings of their great hearts, and tears of mutual joy begin to flow. " ' From the ship we are transferred to carriages provided for us, taken to a large mansion of one of my spiritual chil- dren, where ample provisions were made for my entire family, ten in number, and though others begged for a share, the reply was, " No, it is better that we all remain together under one and the same roof. " " ' Such briefly has been our voyage, and such our re- ception here in Havre. Though long and boisterous, we have abundant reason for thanksgiving and praise to God no loss of life or limb. Vessels that sailed from New York weeks before us, and some on the very day, have not yet been heard of. " Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits." Though our arrival was on a Saturday, and late in the day before our baggage could pass through the custom- house, and still later before I could pass through all the greetings and congratulations of friends still I could not resist the temptation to preach on the Sabbath ; but time has proven " that it was a zeal without knowledge/' I was not aware how much of my physical strength I had lost on the voyage, nor how much of that strength I should need to sus- tain me under the excitement of standing once more before a church and people from whom I had been separated, lo ! these dozen years, and in a chapel and pulpit, every brick of which was so familiar, and which had cost me so many tears and prayers, so much anxiety and toil ; but the Lord carried me through, and, as one remarked after leaving the house, G 98 TREASURED MOMENTS. " it was a tender and touching scene to more hearts than one." Nor was my physical weakness all the inconvenience I expe- rienced ; I had forgotten that it required a little time to regain one's equilibrium upon terra firma. My sea-legs, which had served me faithfully for forty days, and which I fully intended to leave on board, I found to my great chagrin, had actually accompanied me into the chapel, ascended with me into the pulpit, and ere I was aware, the whole building, pulpit, and Bible were swinging and reeling before me like a frail bark on the mountain wave. When I write again, I trust I shall have more leisure, and things will have become more settled. " 'Yours in haste, but truly/ " On resuming my labours in Havre, the society at New York desired me to write a series of letters upon the present state and character of American seamen, and to point out such evils in the system of manning our ships as needed to be reformed. The four following letters are the response to that request : LETTER I. " SAILORS IN AMERICAN SHIPS. " Havre, Oct. 26, 1 855. " It is now about twenty years since I made my first voyage to Europe, as chaplain to American and British seamen in this port. Since which time I have been no careless observer of the progress of human events, nor have I watched with indifference the ever-varying phases of society consequent thereon. " So great and rapid have been the changes within that time, in some of the mutable things of earth, that it is not a little AMERICAN SEAMEX. 99 difficult at times for one to recognise his own identity, and not to feel that lie belongs to another race ; or that he is a kind of connecting link between this and some other world. But in 110 department of human affairs has there been a greater change than is to be found in the character of American sailors, or rather the SAILORS that man our American ships. A merican sailors, and sailors of American ships, are no longer synony- mous or convertible terms : once they were. The time was when our ships were manned by the hardy sons of New England, who had been nurtured and trained in the nursery of pious, praying mothers had been taught whilst young to bow their necks to the yoke, and to submit, without a murmur, to the solemn rebukes and inflexible laws of a just, though stern, inexorable father ; and, however they may have broken these bands asunder, and cast these cords from them, there were still to be found unmistakable traces of their early training. There were the whisperings of an enlightened conscience that could not be hushed ; the perpetual ringing in the ears of a father's counsels, that could never be silenced, and the indentations made upon their hearts by the continual droppings of a mother's tears, were too deep ever to be effaced. s This made them an interesting, hopeful class of men ; there was soil to work upon the Christian and the Christian minister could then labour and pray in faith and hope they could sow, it may be in tears, but could also reap in joy. But now, what are the facts on this subject ? What the changes which the lapse of twenty years have wrought in our marine merchant service ? I have taken no little pains, since my return here, to collect facts on this subject, and the result of my painstaking is the settled conviction, that not more than one in twenty of the sailors that man our American ships to foreign ports are native-born Americans. Irish, Germans, Spaniards, Italians, indeed a mixture of almost all other nations and languages, make up the balance ; in fact, many of our ships are like floating Babels the confusion of tongues. On our last voyage from New York to Havre out of a crew of twenty-four men and boys G 2 100 TREASURED MOMENTS. that manned our noble ship only one was found to be an American by birth, and he born in Virginia ; and out of the whole number, only six proved to be sailors by profession. The others were the mere dregs, raked up from the ditches and sewers of New York, and shipped as sailors to answer some sinister end, of which we will more fully speak hereafter. " I visit the sailors' boarding-houses I go on board the ships I address myself to sailors ; the first does not under- stand a word I say ; the second understands a little, but can answer only in monosyllables ; the third is a little further advanced, speaks and understands better, but his brogue and accent betray his origin. From the boarding-houses and ships, I go to the hospital that receptacle of the sick and the dying. On entering the ward, I speak to the first sailor I come to ; he shakes his head, I understand him and pass on. I address the next in English, then in French ; I receive the same answer a shake of the head. A poor fellow upon the third couch then raises himself up, leans upon his elbow, and tells me that ' neither of them understands English.' But ' are they not from American ships ? J I inquire. ' O yes, we are all from the same ship.' ' But how is it that they can perform their duties as sailors, without understanding our language ? ' 'Oh, by following us, and doing as we do,' was the reply. Now, I could fill pages with just such facts, all illustrative of the changes which have taken place in the character and language of our marine population. As to the causes which have operated to produce these changes, I need not speak ; they are probably numerous and varied : the rapid and extraordinary increase of our commerce, the opening of gold mines, and other fields of enterprise, have doubtless been among the most fruitful. But of one thing there can be no doubt that chaplains to American seamen in foreign ports have a very different work to perform, and very different materials to work upon, than they had in former years. The very A B (J of gospel truth has to be taught ; these dark minds have to receive the first ray of spiritual light, and as AMERICAN SEAMEN. 101 to conscience, none can be found it has to be created anew. Well may we ask, ' Who is sufficient for these things ? ' It is like the beginning of a mission in a pagan land, with this disadvantage, that the missionary there may safely calculate upon the same pupils from day to day, and thus ' give them line upon line/ while we are like sportsmen amid flocks of birds ; if we obtain a good shot to-day, to-morrow they are beyond our reach. Nor is their foreign origin, foreign language, or their migratory habits, the only or even the worst evils which we find interlaced with this class of our population. " Whence come the swarms of pretended sailors that now man our ships ? In what schools have they been educated ? Where were they taught their perilous and responsible duties ? We have already hinted to the gutters and sewers of New York city, but the six thousand grog-shops, will, undoubtedly, claim the honour of giving them their first lessons ; these are but the preparatory schools ; they graduate and receive their diplomas in the ditches, the polluted dens and brothels of the city. Since taking up my pen, Captain B., one of our old friends, formerly in the Havre trade, but now commanding one of the largest ships in the Liverpool line, has called to see me, and, in conversation with him on this subject, he declared to me, 'that for years, so multiform have been the evils, and so various the arts of deception in the shipping of crews, that in getting fairly out to sea, if he found, on trial, that one-half of his crew were true men, in reality sailors, he always felt like returning thanks to God for his good for- tune ; if only a moiety of the whole proved to be the mere refuse, the sweepings of European prisons, thieves, and robbers, making a voyage simply to plunder, he thought himself indeed a lucky man;' and then added, 'that on his last recent voyage, out of a crew of twenty-five, not a single American could be found all of foreign birth and some half-dozen no better than pirates, one of whom made an attempt upon his life with a slung shot.' 102 TREASURED MOMENTS. " Sometimes a crew is composed of more pliable and less dangerous stuff, though equally inefficient, manufactured out of a kind of general assortment, resembling the old-fashioned country stores, that included everything, from a darning needle to a hand-saw, a cotton handkerchief to a hogshead of New England rum ; farmers, tailors, shoemakers, blacksmiths, and what not, have, from various motives and causes, been suddenly worked up from the raw materials into something superfine for ship service. A single instance must serve as an illustration. " Just as one of the Havre packets, this last summer, was getting ready for sea, and at a time when the price of a sailor was at a premium, there was seen walking in the streets of New York a plain, simple-hearted farmer, fresh from his plough, and but a few hours from his home on Staten Island, where he had a snug little property and an amiable family ; stepping into one of those preparatory schools, intending, no doubt, to take only the first lesson, he proved such an apt scholar, and made such prodigious strides in all the essential qualifications of a modern patent Jack, that, ere he was aware, he had doffed his plain farmer-suit, and was metamor- phosed into a regular-bred sailor, with enormous trowsers, covered with grease and tar, and jacket to match ; a tarpaulin hat had taken the place of his beaver, and, in a belt, he sported a big knife at his side. With so significant a cos- tume, who could forbid Ins being hoisted into the ship like a bale of cotton, and his name enrolled upon the ship's list of able seamen ? To be sure, he was ignorant of his own trans- mutation, but what of that ? What need he care, so long as his factor, or rather his manufacturer, was on hand to make all his bargains, receive his advanced wages, pay his little et ceteras, his grog bills, his new suit of old clothes, his lodgings, and other things too numerous to mention ? And besides, who can be better qualified to testify to his seamanship than the man who made him ? But the time for his return to con- sciousness was hastening on ; the few noble sailors, made in AMERICAN SEAMEN. 103 the old-fashioned way, had been able to manage the ship as she quietly glided out of the harbour, while the newly manu- factured ones were lying about the ship unconscious of what was going on around them, till at length, as the liquid fires with which they had been drugged began to die out, and the ship began to heave and toss upon the angry waves ; then, like so many reptiles, feeling the first warmth of returning spring, they began to crawl about the decks and awake to consciousness ; and among them is this simple-hearted farmer. From this drunken debauch he awakes just in time to espy, in the dim distance, his beautiful island, on which was his little farm, his family, and his all, dwindling slowly into a little speck upon the horizon. At first, he is bewildered ; at length his true position flashes like a sunbeam upon his soul. He looks despairingly around him ; not a familiar object meets his eye ; no smiling face to greet his : he bursts into tears ; he weeps like a child. The cogitations of his heart now trouble him ; he thinks of his distressed family, that need to be comforted ; his ripening harvest that needs to be gathered ; but what could he do ? Submission seems impossible ; to escape is equally so. Despair and desperation settle down upon his troubled soul ; his thoughts ran back, and he broods over the past trials of his life : they are all as nothing to the present. He had been from home before, but it was of his own choosing ; he had toiled hard before, but he was his own master, and master of his own work ; he had ploughed many an acre of ground without pain or weariness, but the thought of ploughing six thousand miles of salt water before he could again see his family was too intolerable to be borne. On his own little farm he was at home and at ease ; he knew the use of the rake, the hoe, and the spade ; but in this new field of labour, what could he do ? He knew not a spanker from a mainsail a flying jib from a topgallant. He wept, he sighed, he groaned, but all in vain ; the winds and the seas would not obey him ; every heaving surge bore him farther and farther from his home and every object dear to his heart. Fortunately, lOi TREASURED MOMENTS. on his arrival here, a steamer was just leaving for New York ; the kind-hearted captain releasing him from his involuntary servitude, he brushed away a grateful unbidden tear, doffed his tarpaulin for a new beaver, and was soon seen a smiling, good-natured looking passenger on board the steamer, home- ward bound, to soothe his distressed family, gather his ripened harvest, and to become, we trust, a wiser if not a better man. "Another mode adopted in these New York schools for manufacturing sailors out of raw materials is said to be on this wise : A half-dozen more or less loafers, gamblers, pickpockets, old convicts from penitentiaries, and what not, with nothing in their pockets, save the grog bills, which they cannot pay, unanimously resolve to make known to their cre- ditor, the grog dealer, the hopeless condition of their finances; their ardent desire to return to their fatherland ; the impossi- bility of doing so, or even paying him for their grog, unless he can put them upon a new tack. ' ' Pshaw ! ' says this knowing pimp, drumming on the counter with his fingers, ' you want to see your mammas, do you ? Well, keep a stiff upper lip ; here, take another glass, never mind the pay. And now, let me tell you listen to me ; look at me ; do you believe in me ? Well, then, come up to the scratch, and do just as I say, and in a little less than no time you'll pay for your grog, be on your way to your mammas, and have tin in your pocket when you get there. Here, just step with me into this room d'ye see ? Why, I could fit out a regiment. Here, Burk, is a lusty pair that will just fit your quarters, and they are hardly cold from old laughing Tom, as he was called ; you remember him ? ah, he was a whole brick, poor jolly old soul ; he kicked the bucket a few days ago, and these trowsers are all that remain of him. Now, here is a pair that will make a tight fit to a barber's pole ; here, Reynolds, they'll just suit your spindle shanks ; on with them. You know, we must have everything look natural, as though it was made for you that's the advantage of having a large stock AMERICAN SEAMEN. 105 to choose from and these, having seen good service, are the more natural, and less likely to excite suspicion. There, you are now all rigged out jackets, trousers, tarpaulins, belts, and knives yes, look in the glass ; by the Holy Virgin, if you don't all pass muster, I'll treat yes, I'll bet a dozen cock- tails, that Neptune himself would be willing to swear, upon the highest wave, that you were all 'real old sea dogs.' 'But/ says one, a little more thoughtful and timid than the rest, ' what would be the consequence in case of being questioned as to our knowledge of a sailor's life and duties ? ' ' Ah, hah, give yourselves no trouble ; we know how to come it over them on that tack. In the hurry and bustle of getting out to sea, you will only be put through the shorter catechism ; and now, if you want to learn that, follow me into the back yard ; let us walk round that circular plat of grass do you see that horn sticking out of the ground in the centre? well, that's the answer to the shorter catechism : now don't forget your lesson when you are examined.' The last touch of the artist's pencil having now been applied, a tumultuous jollification, over cocktails and whiskey punch, follows, as the concluding act in the play, in the midst of which, the shipping master perhaps a secret partner in the concern hurries into the room, bidding high for a half-dozen able seamen, for a ship just leaving for Liverpool. What is his surprise and joy at finding just that number finished, as if made to order, and that, too, on so short a notice. A bargain is soon struck, and one hundred and twenty dollars paid down as advanced wages ; and what is remarkable, this sum comes within three cents of meeting the entire expenses of their lessons in navi- gation, their outfit, and grog bills, and all the et ceteras. The rum-seller, with his accustomed generosity to the unfortunate, and in consideration of their having given him the job, swore positively he would never trouble them about the balance, but would just throw it in and square accounts. And nowjhey separate, very much like so many crocodiles, leaping from the bank into the turbid waters of the Mississippi, without know- 106 TEEASUKED MOMENTS. ing whether they shall ever meet again on land. They follow their new master to the ship, where he receives two dollars per head, as his part and portion of the wages of unright- eousness. " The ship now swings from her mooring, and anchors in the middle of the stream, lest these amphibious animals may jump ashore. The roll is called, each answers to his name, all is confusion on deck, the examinatio'n goes on Tom, Dick, Harry, what do you know of a sailor's duty? have you ever made a long voyage ? ' Aye, aye, sir/ answers Bufk, ' we six old salts have been round the Horn/ In the hurry and bustle of the moment, such an answer is perfectly satisfactory, nor is it disproved till fairly out at sea, when perhaps a northwester begins to blow, and the entire strength of the crew is brought into requisition : then to the great chagrin of master and officers, it is found that these six newly-made sailors, who had paced round a cow's horn in the back yard of a rum-seller, did not know a rope in the ship. " Now, with such facts staring us in the face, can it be any longer a matter of wonder that there should be such a fright- ful loss of life and property on the seas ? Can we wonder at such facts as the following, which I clip from a Boston journal : ' The losses paid by fourteen stock insurance offices, in State Street, Boston, during the last five years, almost reach the large sum of 10,000,000 dollars; of this amount 7,675,424-86 dollars were paid on marine losses. And but a few days since a gentleman said to me, that the value of property on the sea had fallen 50 per cent, in con- sequence of the increased danger, and the terrific losses of the few last years. But upon whom do these losses and accumu- lated evils fall ? Not upon Insurance Companies alone ; nor upon shipowners, nor upon shipping merchants ; but heaviest of all upon the responsible masters commanding these ships, the officers, and the few noble and faithful seamen, who often enter port exhausted, worn out and broken down, by their excessive labours, toils, watchings, anxieties, and almost super- AMERICAN SEAMEN. J07 human efforts to save life and property, and all this brought upon them by this most nefarious system of shipping, for able seamen, nothing but the veriest dregs and outlaws of society. On entering the hospital here last spring, and finding five sailors from a single ship, I inquired into the cause. Have you been abused ? Have you had a hard and cruel master ? ' Oh, 110, we have had the kindest of masters, and have been kindly treated by the officers ; but there were so few of the crew that understood their duty, we were obliged to be overworked to save the ship/ Yes, the few faithful able sailors experience the bitter fruits of this cruel, this accursed system. So it was with the noble ship in which we made our voyage last winter a passage of forty days, that might have been made in two- thirds of the time with an efficient crew ; and we, no doubt, owe our lives to the skill, the vigilance, and the prudence of the master and officers, who understood too well the danger of crowding on sail in- midwinter, when they discovered that out of a crew of twenty-four ah 1 told, only six were able, experienced seamen. But there are no limits to the evils glowing out of this unrighteous, perfidious system ; they are incalculable, and affect the whole community. And, if amid all the systems of evil known in civilised society, or that has ever afflicted the human family, this stands above, and without a parallel in its enormity, so is it equally without the shadow of an excuse, or the least vestige of an apology. And yet, who thinks of a reform ? A few perhaps who read the ' Sailor's Magazine/ They lift their feeble voices amid the yells, the screams, and clamour of the multitude for reforming some imaginary evil, or, it may be, some real one, if perchance it be far enough off to be beyond our reach ; we can so graduate our optics as to see clearly the beam in our neighbour's eye, however remote, and can lash the whole country into a tem- pestuous sea, for what we cannot help, and have no right to touch, while more than the curse of Ham rests upon the sailor and the sailor's cause at our own door, and under our own eye. But is there not a cause ? Yes, verily, we know the cause ; 108 TREASURED MOMENTS. but what is the remedy ? On this question we will offer a few thoughts in our next. p. g. We had an unusual full house last Sabbath, and in the evening especially a great number of seamen, but all English and Scotch I think there was but one sailor from an American ship ; so also at the weekly prayer-meeting at the reading-room." LETTER II. "Havre, Aug. 20, 1857. " Your January number, ]856, contains my letter upon the depreciation of American sailors, with some allusions to the evils connected with our present ' system of advanced wages/ which, by the way, is such a hydra-headed monster, present- ing so many new phases in its long catalogue of crimes, that although I intended to speak of the ' remedy ' in my next, I hardly know how to let this monster off till I have given you one more specimen of his bloody work. I hold it up only as a specimen just as an artist or a mechanic hangs out at his door or window a sample of his work ; with this difference, he does it to draw in customers I do it from the motives and feelings of the terrified man, who stands beside the railroad track waving his red flag, to warn the rushing train that death and destruction are in their path. " Charles P , a young man born and brought up in Renssalaer County, New York, about sixteen miles west of Troy, having taken the western fever, went to St. Louis ; but the severity of the winter, and the misfortune of getting his feet frost-bitten, inclined him to seek a warmer climate, and he took a steamer for New Orleans. On landing in that city, and while standing upon the Levee, looking around, and gazing at the novelties that presented themselves to his inex- perienced eyes, he was immediately accosted by one of those AMERICAN SEAMEN. 109 crimps, which, like vultures, prey upon the carcasses of the slain, and in honeyed tones, and manners as bland as the zephyrs that fanned his brow, inquired if he was seeking employment. ' Yes, I want something to do/ was the reply, ' Then you are just the man I am seeking. My brother is just getting his ship ready to run down upon the coast of Texas for a cargo of hay ; it will be a pretty little trip for a stranger, who naturally wants to see something of the country/ ' But/ says P., ' I am but a farmer, was never on a ship in my life, and know nothing of the business/ 'No matter for that/ replied the crimp, ' we have hands enough to work the ship ; all we want is a man to scrub the deck, and help load the hay. Come, stranger, go home with me and take some dinner, and we'll talk it all over/ On their way to dinner this vulture kept eyeing his victim from head to foot, as if calcu- lating the amount of flesh upon his bones, till suddenly halting at the door of a slop-shop, he said to him in tones of the most tender and paternal kindness, ' I see, you need a pair of shoes, and you'll want a wider, looser pair of pants to move easily about the deck just step in here with me. Here, old boss, let us see some of your prime articles, none of your wishy-washy stuff ; there, now, fit this stranger to a pair of shoes and pants, and charge them to me. Now for some dinner here, upstairs with you, and remember my house is to be your home while you remain in the city/ What a lucky fellow I am, thought poor P., as he ascended those stairs, to fall into such good hands ! And his heart began prematurely to swell with gratitude. " The next evening about dusk, he followed this old serpent to the ship. Here everything was new, bustling, and exciting, but seemed full of promise 'of a good time coming/ and though in an untried field, P. resolved to do his best, especially as it was but for a few days. " The ship was soon under way, with some half-dozen others, all fastened to a steam-tug that kept up an incessant, unearthly groaning, and belching and bellowing, as if on purpose, and in 110 TREASURED MOMENTS. mercy to forewarn every living soul on board those ships that they had a devil among them, and to keep a sharp look out. And the old fellow seemed to take the hint, for as soon as he received his forty dollars advance wages he glides down the side of the ship into a little skiff, and, serpent-like, returns to his hole, there to watch for another victim. " Next morning, on reaching the Balieze, P., not seeing his patron friend, ventures to ask some of the crew what time they expected to reach the coast of Texas, where they were to take the hay ? A tremendous roar of laughter and ridicule now followed. 'You old fool ! You fresh- water lobster! You are as green as a bullfrog ! Why, you are sold and used up ! Now, let me tell you a little bit of news that will interest you very much, says one of the mates. ' You have shipped for Havre, and have got to live on salt water for at least four months before you see your mamma ; and if you don't open your eyes and step about this ship, and obey orders in quick time, well show you something better than Texas, you d d fool ! ' " This sudden shock, so rudely given by a set of unfeeling, heartless tigers, and to one too so naturally artless and con- fiding, was more than this unsophisticated youth could bear ; his mind became perfectly unhinged. He had never before seen anything of the rough side of this world. Tenderly brought up by pious parents of the Methodist church, per- fectly temperate in all things, and with a heart naturally kind and keenly sensitive to all wrong, and to every species of cruelty, the very thought of being shut up a third of a year in what he now saw to be a floating hell perfectly paralyzed him. Aware, too, of his own deficiency, of his absolute disqualification to discharge his duties, his consternation was increased, dethroning his reason and overwhelming him in utter darkness and despair. ' The middle passage' was before him, for here commenced forthwith a studied system of the most unheard-of cruelties, with ropes 3 ends, clenched fists, and kicks, beating him with marlin-spikes and hand-spikes, and inventing tortures that might put to the blush any inquisitorial AMERICAN SEAMEN. Ill tribunal of the dark ages. He lived through it, but none that saw him as he was borne from the ship to the hospital believed that he could long survive. I visited him from day to day; a frightful sight to look upon, hardly to be recognised as a human being ; beaten to a jelly, head swollen, face and eyes blackened, able to see but a little out of one eye ; his body, legs, and arms so lacerated and bruised as to make it difficult to move or turn him. After weeks of incessant watching and nursing, we began to entertain hopes of at least a partial recovery. His reason seemed slowly returning ; lucid intervals became more frequent and of longer duration, which I improved in drawing out of him a full and minute history of the savage cruelties and tortures he had endured. " On happening to hear one day that his ship still lingered in port, he was seized with fearful forebodings, lest he should be compelled to return to it, and begged me to intercede for him ; ' for/ said he, ' I can never live through another such voyage ;' and so terribly did this prey upon his mind, that when his lucid moments had passed away, and given place to a wild delirium, his every act and look bespoke the terror and consternation that were raging within. Often, in springing from his bed, he would attempt to throw himself out of the window, with shrieks and cries, 'that men were seizing him to take his life/ " I did however interpose, and saved him from the terrible fate he so much dreaded ; and in communicating the fact that his ship had actually sailed without him, he seemed like one whose crushed heart had received a new impulse. New hopes took possession of his mind, he became more calm and com- posed, and at the end of another month he was so far restored as to be able to leave in company with friends, whose sympa- thies he secured while emerging from these deep waters of affliction, into which he had been so treacherously plunged by one of those sharks that are kept, fed, and petted by our beautiful system of advanced wages. " Yes, this subaltern to the prince of darkness, for a coarse 112 TREASURED MOMENTS. pair of trousers and slippers, a night's lodging* and a little coarse fare, pockets his forty dollars; while an honest man, after two months of severest toil, and four months of intolerable suffering, is left in a foreign land without friends, destitute of clothing, not a red cent in his pocket, and nothing to show for his toils and his pains, save the bruises upon his back, and his mind shattered and beclouded, if not irretrievably lost. A half century has not passed away since our government pro- claimed Avar against Great Britain, summoned the nation to arouse, expended millions of the public treasure, and sacrificed tens of thousands of lives, to avenge just such wrongs com- mitted against the personal rights and liberties of our citizens. Yet, here is one of our own citizens, protected by our laws, lurking in his den at New Orleans, carrying on a perpetual guerrilla war against the personal liberty and rights of his fellow-citizens, and committing depredations daily, which, if committed and authorised by any government or constituted power on earth, would set the country and the world in a blaze. Our government would not bear for a single day, from any despotic power under heaven, the outrages against our citizens which are committed every day in the year by these bandits and outlaws that burrow in our seaports. " But let us turn this monster round as you would a porcu- pine upon a spit, and take another view of his bloody work. The sufferings of innocent, unwary youth, that are so often decoyed within reach of his lasso, constitute but a small item in the terrible evils that follow in their train. " This monster system is converting our once-noble ships into pandemoniums, floating slaughter-houses, 'that are bring- ing down upon us, as a nation, the scorn and contempt of the world, and over which the righteous judgments of Heaven cannot long slumber. " Take the following fact : The ship R A , to which I have in former letters alluded, arrived in this port, January, 1856. Her papers showed a crew's list of twenty coloured men, only seventeen of whom lived to reach the port, AMERICAN SEAMKN. 113 and eight of those so terribly bruised and mangled, as to be sent at once to the hospital, where, for weeks, their lives hung in doubt. So shocking was the condition of this ship, as to excite general suspicion, and create a profound sensation throughout the city. An ex-parte examination was held, at which the master, officers, and carpenter gave their testimony, while the dead that lay in the bottom of the sea, the bleeding victims groaning in the hospital, and the remaining nine, who, on their arrival in port, were but too happy in making their escape from this charnel-house, were willingly excused for their non-appearance. Hence the whole thing for the present has been smothered and hushed up. But I was careful to send you the names of this crew, and to procure a free passage for several of them to New York, to be held in readiness to give testimony in this case. Please keep the names on file, and not lose sight of the subject or of the men ; for if this cage can ever be brought into a court of justice, where those men can bear their testimony, they will prove beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the three missing men that were thrown into the sea like so many dead dogs, were literally beaten to death, cruelly and brutally murdered. The unanimous testimony of the eight mutilated ones at the hospital, with whom I daily conversed, was, that scarcely a day passed on that voyage that they had not puddles of human gore to wash from the deck of their ship ; and with a crew, too, every soul of whom was anxious to please and to do his duty to the utmost of his ability. There was not an obstinate or rebellious one in the whole crew. " The first officer was a notorious English bully, by the name of Perry, who gloried in being first and foremost in this bloody work ; it is reported that, becoming a little alarmed, he has fled to England ; but should he ever be seen again in the United States or on board any American ship, let him be narrowly watched and cared for. " Deaths among the crews of our American ships are by no means an uncommon occurrence, and often give rise to low murmurs and vague rumours among the sailors, of terrible H 114 TREASURED MOMENTS. assaults and savage cruelties ; but where there is but a single death upon any given ship it excites but little suspicion, and calls forth no other expression from the French authorities than a significant shrug of the shoulders, which, translated into English, means 'American-like.' " The number of sailors admitted to the French hospital in this port from American ships range from ninety to one hundred and thirty annually ; and from the most reliable information I have been able to obtain from attending physicians and nurses, as well as from my own observation, one-fifth of the whole are the victims of barbarous cruelties on shipboard. Nor does this by any means represent the aggre- gate of human sufferings on our ships. It includes only the actually disabled. Thousands of others suffer the most excru- ciating tortures, while their bones remain unbroken. But to sum up the whole in few words, after ten years' labours among seamen, and the most careful and patient examination I have been able to give to the subject, it is my solemn conviction, in which there remains not the shadow of a doubt, that there is more suffering, more savage cruelty, more heart-rending agony, and a greater number of brutal murders on board our American ships that freight our cotton to European ports, than can be found on all the plantations on which that cotton is grown. Nor has my judgment been formed hastily, or from a partial view of the subject, but after a residence of more than twenty years in different slave states, and travelling exten- sively through every slave state in the Union, with northern feelings and northern prejudices, and with a heart ever anxious and eyes ever open to scan the evils of the system, which are neither few nor small. "I believe further, that were our sailors on board those cotton-freighting ships to exchange places with the slaves of the cotton plantations for one year, they would find their condi- tion vastly improved socially and morally, have a higher respect for themselves, be farther removed from demoralising influ- ences that ruin soul and body, better secured from temptations AMERICAN SEAMEN. 115 to vice, enjoy better opportunities for the observance of the Sabbath, for intellectual and moral improvement, better fed, better clothed, better cared for when sick, and at the end of the year, have fewer bruises and broken bones, and more money in their pockets. "And furthermore, were the slaves themselves, after this one year's experience, to be allowed to make their choice be- tween the two evils, that of remaining for life as sailors before the mast, or of returning to the plantations as slaves to their masters, I do not believe one in a hundred would remain on the ship ; and with my present knowledge and views, I should commend them for their choice yea, were I myself doomed to the same terrible alternative, I should not hesitate a moment in making the same choice. Slavery on board our ships is more absolute, more despotic and tyrannical, than is possible for it to be on any southern plantation ; with this additional disadvantage, that ship-slaves are bought, sold, and worked by the month, and not for life ; thus destroying all motive to clemency, and all interest in their future well-being. "What would be the condition, I ask, of our domestic animals, if put upon the same footing as our sailors ? " Take, for example, the noble horse. Suppose our Govern- ment were to pass a law declaring all horses free, not allowed to be owned, as property, by any citizen ; at the same time, giving to every man a right to catch and work them by the month: 'And be it further enacted, that between each month, the poor horses should have a week's holiday, be turned out into the highways, to enjoy themselves, ad libitum.' "And as rum-holes and prostitutes afford no special attrac- tion to horses, they resolve upon spending their vacation in the country, and very naturally choose clover and corn fields for their play-grounds. A glorious jollification seems opening be- fore them when lo ! and behold ! all the boys and dogs in the neighbourhood are soon yelling and yelping at their heels ; and at the end of their week's holiday, the loss of eyes and ears, of. broken hoofs, shorn tails, and limping gaits, tell a sad story of 1 1 G TREASURED MOMENTS. their unrestricted and unrestrained freedom. Nevertheless, they are now all caught up again, each man seizing the best horse he can lay his hand upon not to feed, pamper, and curry, to prepare him for his next master no, no, but to put him under the lash, and, by the nicest calculation, see how much hard work he can get out of the poor animal, at the least possible expense for his keeping. Now, under such laws, how long, I ask, would horse-flesh remain at par? What would be the average life of horses ? Ah, give them a tongue to speak, and how eloquently would they plead for the repeal of such laws, and beg to be owned by somebody who would have interest enough in them to feed and protect them. Such is human nature, and such is the condition of our sailors under the present system, and such is the difference between the black slaves of the south, that grow our cotton, and the white slaves at the north, that man our ships, and freight it to Europe. Had the infamous mate, spoken of above, owned that crew of twenty coloured men, with the certainty that every man he laid dead at his feet was taking a cool 2,000 dollars out of his pocket, his blows would have been fewer and lighter ; nor would it have required the lives of three men to have slaked his thirst for blood. "But I imagine, by this time, the reader is beginning to shudder, and exclaim with horror, 'O wretched man that he is! to advocate slavery ! ' Not a bit of it, I am advocating no such thing. I took my pen, not to paint slavery, but to depict the horrors of the ship. I have chosen slavery as an illustration, and for drawing a contrast, for the very reason that all the world profess to know all about it ; the better suited, there- fore, to my purpose. For more than twenty years the people of our country have been sleeping over this subject. " By seizing a battery, therefore, that is always surcharged, and applying it to wires that, like net-work, circumvent and incase the whole northern mind, throwing off scintillations that permeate the secret chambers of every soul, may we not hope to awaken some monomaniacs to the important discovery, AMERICAN SEAMEN. 117 that there is mare than one evil in our lost and wretched world ? and that such is the weakness of our fallen nature, and so perverted our faculties, that a mote in our brother's eye, a thousand miles off, looks much larger than a beam in ^our own? " The buying and selling of men, far away, on the banks of the Mississippi, though under the sanction of law, has a dread- fully wicked look in the eyes of a New York or Boston audi- ence ; but to be told that men are kidnapped and sold every day in the year, in their own streets, and by their own citizens, and that, too, in violation of all law, does not sound so harshly ' upon ears polite ' nor is there anything in it that looks so very ugly. ' Distance lends enchantment to the view/ " A slave sold in New Orleans for 2,000 dollars, to pass from one family to another, puts a thousand presses into motion, to announce and denounce the revolting fact ; while one of our own citizens, artless and innocent as a child, having just arrived in that same city, is immediately kidnapped by a northern shark, agent for northern ships, is sold into bondage for forty dollars cash, carried off from the land of his birth, and in the first two months of his servitude is whipped and beaten almost to death, and left penniless in a foreign land, and yet see how perfectly quiet and mum everybody remains, thinking, no doubt, that a forty-dollar white man, especially as he was, like Paul, free-born, is hardly worth making a fuss about. An overseer on a plantation cruelly shoots down a refractory slave the whole country stands aghast, and with fixed, upturned eyes, like the profane swearer over his empty cart, solemnly declare that no mere newspaper article ' can do justice to the subject/ Tomes of fiction now teem from the press, till the inhabitants of the land gloat on blood; the pulpit and the stage vie with each other in exciting the popular mind, and fanning the flame to a conflagration ; indignation- meetings are called to lend a helping hand in rolling up the angry billows ; the Declaration of Independence is held in the lurid flames, and burned to ashes, amid the groans and hisses 118 TREASURED MOMENTS. of a frenzied mob ; cries and yells for the dissolution of the Union are loud and long, till England catches the note, and echoes back the sound But hark ! let the 'reader hold his breath for a moment, till we transfer this tragic scene from a southern plantation to the deck of a northern ship. Look at that merciless slave-driver, as he walks the quarter-deck, with knives and revolvers in his belt, and a marline-spike in his hand, and his deck every day besmeared with human gore, and in the short space of a month, a seventh part of his crew lie dead at his feet, and he hurls them into the sea, as if in contempt of God's image stamped upon them. And now, where are the novel-writers ? Where are the tragedians and the dramatists? Where the editors, the poets, the orators, the stages, the pulpits, that will speak out on this subject? Nowhere to be found. The whole country remains as calm and quiet as a weaned child ; nothing is heard, save the low whisper of congratulation in the long-suffering, patience, and uncomplaining pious resignation with which the people bear the outrage ; even the newspapers choose to preserve an oblivious silence. Verily, it makes quite a difference 'whether your bull gores my ox, or my ox your bull.' " ' But/ says the New York and Boston merchant, ' to work out an entire reformation on this subject would require great sacrifices. In the transition from the present to a better sys- tem, our ships would be rotting in the harbour/ Exactly so : this is the tender point, and is just the plea the slaveholder makes : ' To carry out your northern views here in the south, our cotton would rot on the ground/ " For more than eighteen hundred years, efforts have been making to reform the world, by reversing the rule which the Saviour laid down every man attempting to reform his neigh- bour before he reforms himself ; pulling at his brother's eyes for motes, while he carries a beam in his own ; thus working in the dark, and to little purpose. Hence, neighbour against neighbour, state against state, nation against nation, all to make our neighbours better. This certainly is a much easier AMERICAN SEAMEN. 119 work than to begin at the other end. To keep up a perpetual scolding, fretting, and denouncing of others, requires far less sacrifice, and much less of the spirit of self-denial, than to sit down quietly and submit to a painful surgical operation upon our own eyes, and a deep and thorough probing of our own. hearts ; and besides, this has none of the attractions of romance about it ; nothing of lofty patriotism, or a show of zeal for the glory of God ; in fine, home reform is a very homely business. The blessed Saviour, therefore, who knew what was in man, and how the pride of his heart deceives him, and how utterly powerless all his attempts to reform others, so long as he car- ries a beam in his own eyes, has in infinite wisdom commanded us to begin the work of reform at home ; and in the sacrifices, the conflicts, the terrible struggles, the startling discoveries we make of our own hearts, the tears and groans, and cries for mercy, would all serve to humble us, and make us very meek and lowly in spirit, and give to us such rich and varied expe- rience in the work of reform, as to know just how to sympa- thise and feel for those for whose reformation we would labour. Hence the Saviour's rule ' Cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote tliat is in thy brother's eye,' is simple, easy to be understood, infinitely wise, and eminently practical. Let us see, then, how it would work in the present case. Suppose every Christian inNewYork and Boston were to become deeply impressed with the wrongs and sufferings of seamen, and the necessity of a thorough reform, and all were to set about the work in good earnest. O, what personal conflicts would we now behold ! what unforeseen obstacles would meet them at every step ! what new developments of the selfishness of the human heart ! See pastors, deacons, and elders on their knees, before God, in counting-houses, pleading with mer- chants and ship-owners^with tears to make the sacrifices neces- sary to carry out the reform ; follow them to sailors' boarding- houses, and into the rum-holes and beer-shops, among the sharks and crimps, talking, and praying, and warning them J20 TREASURED MOMENTS. to turn from their evil ways and live ; then follow them to their houses, and into their closets, worn out and almost in despair and 0, what cries and groans that cannot be uttered ! Now see these pastors in their study : how the pen moves ! what sermons upon human depravity ! upon man's lost condi- tion ! the crying sins of the city ! the necessity of God's help ; never did they understand so well before the desperate wicked- ness and shocking crimes pervading their own city. Day after day this work is followed up, and each day some new develop- ment of sin and new difficulties arise ; the heart is more sad, and more frequently do they bow before the mercy-seat and cry to God. Weeks have passed, and apparently but little has been done. A meeting for prayer and consultation is ap- pointed, and now, after another hard day's toil of preaching from house to house, with many personal encounters and struggles with opposition, on their way to the prayer-meeting methinks I hear brother C. say to brother B., as he wipes the perspiration from his brow, ' This thing of fighting an enemy hand-to-hand in our own streets, and before our own doors, is quite a different thing from that of shooting paper bullets at him a thousand miles off, or denouncing him in our pulpits. I never knew before what tremendous power there is accu- mulated in these social, organic evils. They are like cancers upon the human body, shooting their little fibrous roots into every part of the system. These few weeks of grappling with this giant evil has afforded me a vast deal of rich experience. I feel my own weakness as I never did before my heart is broken, humbled, crushed. My charity and sympathies will ever after flow out warm and full toward all Christians en- gaged in personal conflicts with such an enemy ; but this beam must and shall be cast out- the Lord being my helper for I now see the wisdom and beauty of our Saviour's rule as I never saw it before.' Now the experience of, C. would be the expe- rience of every Christian that worked by the Saviour's rule ; humility would clothe him as with a garment ; and what a sifting it would make between the chaff and the wheat ! be- AMERICAN SEAMEN. 121 tween the Georges and the Theodores. The latter class, finding the rule directly opposed to their instincts, and to their unholy ambition, discard it altogether, as of no authority ; and ' becom- ing vain in their imaginations, and wise in their own conceit, they become fools; clouds without water; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame ; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.' But through the personal efforts and self-sacrificing spirit of real Christians the work is accomplished the beam is cast out the sailors' cause is placed upon an entirely new basis, to be worked hereafter upon truly Christian principles. But oh, the glorious results of this work ! Not confined to sailors, but every Christian heart feels its warm, heavenly, radiating influence. It is impossible it should be otherwise. The heart-searchings, the deep probings, the awful struggles, the personal conflicts, the agony of submitting to such an operation, the loathing and self-abasement before God, at the discovery that such an opera- tion was necessary, or that they had ever such a beam in their eyes all, all become as ' fire in the bones, as a sword piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow/ No marvel, therefore, that a glorious revival of pure religion, undefiled before God, has been the result of such labours in those two cities. " And now that the beam is cast out of their eyes their spiritual vision becoming clear their hearts melted into holy love with profound sorrow and humility do they look back upon their past errors. The pious physician exclaims within himself : ' What madness hath hitherto filled my heart ! Here I have been standing in Boston, lo ! these twenty years, try- ing to extract a tumour from the breast of a poor suffering woman in New Orleans, who is nothing bettered, but rather grew worse ; and looking at my practice with my new eyes, how can I wonder? for I have pointed out no remedy, showed no sympathy ; in fact, done nothing all this time but to abuse the patient. I will go to her by the first steamer, and on my knees confess my error. I will examine the case personally, that I 122 TREASURED MOMENTS. may know the better how, in meekness and love, to apply the remedy.' So says another and another ; yea, Pauls and Peters, and Johns and Marthas, and Marys and Tabithas, pour into the south now, as if to vie with each other in showing kind- ness and doing good. They humbly and meekly confess their errors in offering so much strange fire upon God's altar ; and now, dear brethren and sisters, they say, 'We have come to you in the name of the Lord, and in the meekness and spirit of our Divine Master, and to tell you what the Lord hath done for us, and how he has enabled us to cast the beam out of our own eyes ; in a word, we have come to bless, and not to curse ; to toil and labour with you, pray and weep with you, until the Lord shall be pleased to bless you, as he has blessed us/ And now, behold, how good and how pleasant a thing it is to see these brethren and sisters, all labouring together in unity and love for the elevation of the whole coloured race. Ah ! and before another half century has passed away, Christians throughout the land north and south, east and west might be calling to each other in acclamations of joy : ' Behold what God hath wrought ! Behold the power of love over all other powers, for the accomplishment of good in our world ! ' " My dear brethren and sisters in New York and Boston, would not this be a more excellent way ? But, as we have not yet tried it in this case, what objection can there be in giving it a fair trial now ? Let the Saviour's rule be tested, and see if there be not infinite wisdom in it. Let us lay aside all malice and evil speaking that gendereth strife, and give our- selves to this work till it be accomplished ; and when this beam, the everlasting shame of the north, shall be cast out, who can tell what God may enable us to do for others ? I speak not as a politician, but as a Christian to a Christian people : 'I speak as unto wise men ; judge ye what I say.' " P. S. On writing the last line of the foregoing letter, I threw aside my pen, and said to myself, I must have a little run for exercise, and as usual was brought up standing at the gate of the hospital. I entered just in time to see a French- AMERICAN SEAMEN. 123 man brought in shockingly mangled and bruised. I soon learned he was from an American ship, K P , just arrived from New Orleans, and that such was the heart- sickening account of the cruelties on board that ship during the voyage, that the French were taking the matter in hand. I hastened to the city to gather up the facts, which are briefly these. The ship left New Orleans with a crew of eighteen able-bodied men, all having been shipped for experienced sailors eight only of whom proved to be sailors the other ten had never been to sea before, and did not know a rope in the ship ; and for whom they had paid thirty-five dollars each, advanced wages, 350 dollars in all. They had been kidnapped and sold just as was poor P. No wonder that the master and officers, that had the responsibility of saving that ship and cargo, felt indignant at this treachery and imposition ; no marvel that in times of danger, that required the united skill and force of the entire crew to save the ship, that the lash should be applied; such is human nature. But oh! I ask again, and I ask it from the depths of my aching heart, is there no REMEDY for these tremendous evils, that are so shock- ing to humanity, and are such a disgrace, such an everlasting shame, to a great Christian nation? In my next I shall endeavour to make a few suggestions on that point ; but if, after all, it shall appear that there is no remedy for this evil, for one, I shall ask to be recalled, and recommend to the society to convert their chapels and bethels into hospitals, and in place of chaplains, send out surgeons, nurses, and lawyers. If Chris- tians, I verily believe they would do more good ; they could minister to both soul and body, besides making quite a lucra- tive business of it. Vice, and all kinds of wickedness, gene- rally have to pay well. What I do. as a chaplain, is well known to be gratuitous, while lawyers and surgeons grow fat, and nurses are by no means stinted in their pay for if the pocket of the patient fails, they fall back upon the ship and where the ship is not responsible, Uncle Sam foots the bill and as he is always complaining of plethora, and of fulness about the " chest," they do not fail to bleed him freely." LETTER III. "Havre, Sept. 1, 1857. " A FEW more facts respecting the evils of our present system, before we speak of the remedy. " Not many months since, Capt. C., of Boston, a very intel- ligent Christian man, said to me, with tears in his eyes, ' I am making my last voyage ; I am going to abandon the seas. I can no longer endure the society to which I am exposed at hotels and boarding-houses when in foreign ports. I was once proud of my profession and of my associates I hailed them with joy wherever I met them. The command of an American ship, twenty years ago, was considered a passport into the best society, an endorsement for all that was high-minded, frank, generous, and honourable among men ; but such a change has been wrought within the few last years, that I am isolated, and no longer feel at home among them so low and vulgar, so awfully profane and boastful of bloody deeds, that I can no longer associate with them. And, however I love my profession, rather than do violence to my conscience and moral sense any longer, I quit the seas/ In exact harmony with this, a captain's wife said to me, ' I accompany my husband wherever he goes ; indeed, he is unwilling to take a voyage without me ; he says it furnishes him with an excellent excuse for keeping out of the way of this new set of masters that is coming up in these days ; for you must know,' added she, ' that we do not consider this new type of sailor character to be just what it was when my husband first went to sea.' "A third straw, pointing in the same direction, was seen, in the language of a gentleman who came passenger from New Orleans to this port, on one of our cotton-freighting ships. AMERICAN SEAMEN. 125 ' What horrible oaths/ said he, ' your American captains make use of ! What can be the cause of the amazing increase of profanity, rowdyism, and vulgarity on board your ships ? For the last thirty years I have been in the habit of crossing from here to New Orleans about once every two years, partly for business and partly for health. I used to think your American shipmasters were a noble specimen of humanity, too well-bred to be vulgar and profane ; but really there is a great falling off, or else I have been extremely unfortunate in the few last voyages,' and then playfully added 'lam afraid you chaplains don't do your duty.' Now, by putting this, that, and the other together, I find in the concrete much food for profound reflection. These facts are worthy of being pon- dered by all who love the sailor and the sailor's cause ; they contain a problem that ought to be solved. We cannot pass over it lightly and be guiltless. There is blame somewhere. Is it to be charged to the gospel ? has it become powerless for good ? Is it to be laid at the door of the chaplain ? is he neglectful of his duty, and daubing with un tempered mortar ? Or, are we to seek its solution in some cause lying back, and far deeper than that which appears upon the surface, and which alone strikes the mind of the superficial observer ? Let us see and that we may see it the clearer, we will suppose a case : " Suppose Capt. C., instead of the statement he made, had addressed me as follows : ' For forty years I have been sail- ing out of Boston was always successful in having sweet and pure water in my casks and tanks till within the last ten or fifteen years, during which time it has been so utterly filthy as seriously to affect the health of all on board : the tea, coffee, bread all, have been affected by it. I have tried all possible means to remedy it, but in vain. I blamed the steward and blamed the cook. I carefully examined the casks, to see if it were possible for rats to get in and be drowned. I could discover nothing. I then had the casks taken all apart, and made over new but it made no difference. I finally threw them all away, and had new casks made, but the water remained just the 126 TREASURED MOMENTS. same too wretchedly filthy to be used. I can stand it no longer, I am making my last voyage I abandon the sea.' In reply to this little bit of personal history, I ask him but a sin- gle question : ' Are you sure, Captain C., that your casks are filled with the same pure water as in former years ?' He seems startled at the question, and after some moments' reflection, says : 'While I cannot doubt, yet I have no positive proof, but on my return I will make trial of this very fact.' In a few months his ship is lying at Long Wharf, in Boston, taking in her freight ; her casks are all put in first-rate order. The stevedore agrees to have them filled ready to sail the next day. The captain takes his station at a window near by, but secure from observation. The darkness of night settles down upon the city, but by the light of the lamps the stevedore is seen running out the hose from the ship to a stagnant pool of slimy, filthy water ; the pool so constructed as to receive the entire wash of the city. On connecting the hose to this pool, he runs back to the ship, guiding the hose from cask to cask, and from tank to tank, till all are filled and made ready for sea. The next morning he presents his bill, but, instead of his money, is arrested and brought to trial. The captain employs a sharp, witty lawyer. The stevedore chooses to save the fee, and plead his own cause. A venerable jurist occupies the judgment-seat. The court-house is crowded with specta- tors ; the lawyer states the case ; the stevedore is called to show reason why he should not be convicted of fraud, and here follows some sharp shooting between these two com- batants. Greek meets Greek. " The stevedore rises, and with great coolness and apparent confidence, says, ' May it please your honour, in filling those casks from that pool, I did but follow well-known precedents, that have for many years been recognised and acknowledged lawful and proper in the shipping business of this and other cities in the Union. I may hope, therefore, that my case will not be made an exception to the general rules of commercial transactions. It so happens, that that pool is surrounded by AMERICAN SEAMEN. 127 very poor helpless families, whose subsistence partly depends upon selling the water, it is therefore a charity to help them dispose of it ; and, besides, I am myself deeply indebted to them for board, lodgings, grog bills, &c. &c., and, as they allow me a per-centage, I think it but fair to avail myself of such an opportunity of paying my honest debts/ The lawyer replies : ' May it please your honour, the defendant has made to this court a gratuitous assertion : we call upon him to state specifically, where, in the whole range of shipping- business or commercial transactions, he finds a precedent for such a detestable fraud. He cannot do it. And as to his whining sympathy for those poor families he talks about, we trust this court fully understands the character of that neigh- bourhood. Why, please your honour, they are the very dregs, the offscourings of the city rum-holes, beer-shops, and pros- titutes, tell the whole story. Have they a claim upon our sympathies ? Let them go to work and make an honest living, and not sell filthy water to supply our noble ships. No, we challenge him to show a precedent for his conduct.' The stevedore replies : ' May it please your honour, the twenty sailors in the forecastle of that very ship were taken from the same neighbourhood from which I took the water, for which the ship paid 400 dollars advanced wages, and forty dollars more to the shipping-master, all of which goes to support that very neighbourhood those "rum-holes, beer- shops, and prostitutes," about which the learned counsel for the prosecution has displayed so much eloquence. Here then I find a precedent : the only difference is, that while the shipping-master received his forty dollars commission, I re- ceived but five dollars, and while the ship paid 400 dollars for the sailors, it paid but twenty dollars for the water. " ' My case therefore rests exactly upon the principle of " advanced wages." If my act be unlawful, so is that of the shipping-master ; if mine be a crime, his is only about four hundred times greater ; if my system be condemned, the system of advanced wages cannot be justified/ 123 TREASURED MOMENTS. " Lawyer. ' May It please your honour, the case is very different : the water from that pool was impure, wretchedly filthy, it smelt bad, it was enough to make one sick to look at it/ " Stevedore. ' May it please your honour, the sailors were very filthy too, ragged and dirty, and their breath smelt bad ; " it was enough to make one sick to look at them." ' " The lawyer angrily retorts : ' May it please your honour, I would have that man, if man he can be called (pointing to the stevedore), understand, if he is capable of understanding, that the water with which he filled those casks was for the table, and for all culinary purposes for making tea, coffee, bread, and the like. And we would have him understand farther, if he be capable of understanding it, that in this country we don't eat sailors.' The lawyer takes his seat amid roars of laughter and applause. " The stevedore arises, and with great calmness and dignity replies : ' May it please your honour, my Bible teaches me, " that it is not that which goeth into the mouth that defileth a man, but that which Cometh out of the mouth that defileth the man ; for from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetous- ness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness ; all these evil things come from within, and defile the man." And please your honour, I would have that counsellor (pointing to the lawyer) understand, if he be capa- ble of understanding, that this defilement is found in the twenty sailors, and not in the water-casks. This defilement, that is seen oozing out of the forecastle of every American ship, does something worse than to render unpalatable your tea and coffee. It creates and sends forth a pestilential miasma that has reached the quarter-deck, pervades the entire ship, and carries its infectious and contaminating stench into every port into which our ships enter/ (Here the stevedore becomes quite eloquent.) ' Yes,' continues he, ' may it please your honour, that pool from which I drew the AMERICAN SEAMEN. 129 water may be condemned as furnishing unpalatable or even unwholesome water ; but what is the body to the soul ? That system of advanced wages which has furnished those twenty sailors is the great cesspool of the city, sending abroad over the world a moral pestilence, more to be dreaded, and more fatal, than the small-pox or the yellow fever, because against this terrible scourge no quarantine laws can ever be brought to bear. The learned counsel for the prosecution has spoken of this water-pool as " receiving the wash of the city." But I would ask this court, what is the wash of this moral cesspool from whence the twenty sailors have been drawn ? Why, may it please your honour, it allures within its vile embrace, as by one common power of gravitation, the filthiest and lowest dregs of all creation ; the sweepings of prisons, escaped convicts and pirates, drunkards and burglars, bullies and debauchees, with all the floating wrecks of human hopes, of broken-hearted wives and mothers, that come within the circle, are drawn into this maelstrom to be drilled and drugged, then sold in companies to suit purchasers, then driven like swine into the forecastle. And now what is the first fruit of this system ? It is this : the promotion of men as officers who have few other qualities to recommend them than their strong muscular powers and bullying propensities. The master of the ship, if he be a respectable man, will naturally desire officers under him possessing some of the not very rare qualities of the infamous Bishop Bonner, " a superabundance of g ts, but no bowels." The court will pardon me, I quote the exact language of his biographer. These officers must stand between the decent captain and his filthy crew, and have sufficient nerve and power to perform all the dirty, bloody work neces- sary to secure obedience. The second fruit is found in the fact that, as fast as these old-fashioned, decent captains retire from the seas, these bullies come into command of the ships. Let no one marvel, then, that the depreciation which is so clearly seen in the character of sailors should begin to mani- fest itself on the quarter-deck. Sailors are the materials out 130 TREASURED MOMENTS. of which masters and officers are made. You would not expect the artisan at Lowell to manufacture fine and delicate fabrics out of course Kentucky hemp ; nor do you expect streams of water to be purer or to rise higher than the foun- tain from whence they flow. As is the quality of the water with which you fill your casks, so will be your tea and coffee. As is the quality and character of the sailors with which you fill the forecastle, so will be the character of officers and masters. "If you sow to the wind, you must reap the whirl- wind." " We cannot gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles/' ' "After such a Websterian speech from the stevedore, the reader can judge of the verdict that ought to be rendered. " But let us return to Captain C., for the simple purpose of remarking, that he is not the only master that is withdrawing himself from the seas, and that too for the same reason. One of the most painful facts connected with this subject is, that those noble specimens of the good old-fashioned American ship-masters, that were once the pride of our country, are fast retiring from the ships. A few still remain, especially in the Old Line of Packets, such as Captains Cheever, Bailey, Funk, Wood, Lines, and the like, whom we are in the habit of calling ' gentlemen of the old school/ There are also a few of the younger ones, who are seen walking in their steps, ' but, like angels' visits, they are few and far between/ To my mind it is a pertinent and a very solemn question Where is this growing evil to stop when and how can it be arrested ?* * It is curious and instructive to notice the different effects which these letters have produced upon different minds, among ship-masters. From one, I am commended, and, though not a pious man, he thanks me, and rejoices that I have had the courage to speak out boldly on a subject that is filling the world with the cries of " Shame ! shame ! " to a nation professing to be Christian. Another one professes to be so terribly mad, that, though he was never known to enter a chapel in Havre before, now, whenever in this port, he bolts off to the English church taking great pains to proclaim it AMERICAN SEAMEN. 131 "No gentleman from the United States, who has made himself at all acquainted with the unenviable notoriety of our sailors in such ports as Liverpool, London, and Havre, if he has one spark of patriotism or national pride, will not feel that something ought to be done, and that speedily, to change the character of our seafaring men. They cannot but feel, that their present character is a national disgrace. They must, they do blush for their country as they walk the streets of these cities, and listen to the oaths and curses, and horrible impre- cations, the bacchanalian songs and frightful bowlings in the streets, and in their drunken orgies, and then be told sar- castically, ' These are your American sailors' Ah, there is here in Havre a terrible significancy in those very words ; they grate harshly upon the ear they are frightful sounds ; the very utterance of those two words, ' American sailors' makes the stoutest heart quail, and decent women and children shud- der ; and all move cautiously and warily, as if amid pitfalls ; yea, as if hovering around the very pit of hell. " You see a bloody row, a fierce tiger-fight in the streets, in a neighbourhood where drugged liquor and prostitutes are the staple commodity ; see the rabble rushing from all quarters, blocking up the streets, the windows thrown open and cram- aloud, that he goes there, not from preference, but because he will never listen to a man that has so abused them. Now, if Paul could rejoice that Christ was preached, " even of envy and strife," may I not rejoice when sinners hear Christ preached, though from no better motive ? I am almost tempted to write another letter, to see if more of them cannot be driven into some place of worship, and act less like a set of barbarians. But why should any decent ship- master take offence at what has been stated in these letters ? He knows it is nothing but the truth. If the coat does not fit him, why does he wear it ? I have put it upon no man's back ; if any man is wearing it, he has chosen to put it on himself, and he certainly would never have done so, if he had not been tempted by its exact fit. Every decent man that has a particle of moral courage or patriotism, or any ambition to retrieve the character of seamen, and restore ship-masters to their once high and noble standing where numbers of them are still to be found can find no cause of offence in these letters, but rather of rejoicing that these vices are exposed, with the hope of reformation, ere it become too late. I 2 132 TREASURED MOMENTS. med with bloated faces, and squalid forms of men, women, and children, clapping their hands, and fanning the flame. See the brandishing of knives, the smiting of fists, the blackened eyes and bloody noses, and listen for a moment to the terrific oaths and imprecations that roll out from their midst. See the police-officers standing aloof and aghast, like so many fire- men, with their engines, watching the fury of the flames, that have ascended beyond their control, hoping only to keep the fire within its present bounds ; and hear these same officers contemptuously remark to the passers-by, in reply to their inquiries, ' What is the matter ? ' ' Oh, nothing but American sailors ; let them fight it out.' And as the raging fires of their poisoned liquor die out, and their frenzied brains begin to cool, and their passions have spent their fury, so that they dare venture upon this field of blood and dirt, they rush upon them, seize the ringleaders, and, if able to walk, lead them off to the calaboose, while the maimed and the mutilated are placed upon litters, with all the broken fragments of ears, noses, and lips, and borne away to the hospital, there to be mended and patched up for future service. This is no fancy sketch, but a true picture of real life, as I have seen it here in Havre. Only last week, just such a scene occurred, in which one sailor drew his knife and stabbed another to the heart ; he dropped dead instantly. " These sailors are our representatives sent abroad, over all the earth, to represent a great Christian nation, ' our epistles, read and known of all men/ Some ten days ago, on entering the hospital, and observing the surgeon (an Englishman) per- forming, as I thought, a curious operation upon a man's under- lip, while the man's glaring eyeballs looked as though they would leap from their sockets, I said to the surgeon, ' Why, what is the matter ? ' ' Oh, another bloody fight, for which your sailors are so famous. And,' continued he, 'what is rather against me is, that the beastly fellow that bit off his lip never thought of saving it, but spat it out of his mouth, as he would a quid of tobacco, and it cannot be found. When AMERICAN SEAMEN. 133 they bring me the lip fresh, or, as it sometimes happens, when it hangs at one corner, I can sew it on, and make quite a good job of it : but here (pointing to the bloody mouth), after losing the entire lip, and then trimming away the ragged edges, I have to stretch the corners, as a bootmaker stretches his leather over the last, to make them meet ; and then there is always such a strain, there is constant danger of the sewing giving way before it heals. Nevertheless, if I can keep the rascal still long enough, I shall make a decent job of this after all ; but I much prefer their saving the pieces.' ' But,' in- quired I, ' do you often have such cases ?' ' Nothing is more common/ said he. ' Oh, your American sailors are terrible fellows, a constant terror to the police-officers themselves, biting, tearing, and devouring each other, like so many wild beasts, keeping me half of my time mending and patching them up. Why don't you man your noble ships with a dif- ferent and better class of men ? You Americans are justly proud of your ships, and proud of keeping them neat and in fine trim ; how does it happen, then, that as a nation you do not take more pride in the appearance and character of the men that work them ? ' " So thought I, but what could I say ? What reply could I make ? Oh, with what poignancy and bitterness of soul do we have to take such humiliating and scathing interrogatories ! How does the blush of shame crimson the cheek of every true American, as he sees with his own eyes herds of these filthy, ragged, swearing rowdies emerging from the dark dens and brothels of the city, howling about the streets, a terror to all decent people, and then notice the curling lip of scorn and contempt, as the passing stranger is informed, that they are nothing more than ' AMERICAN SAILORS ' a phrase expres- sive of the very essence of all that is degrading, loathing, and frightfully wicked in man ! What a blot, what an everlasting stigma upon our national character ! Is there any cure ? Can there be found a remedy for this plague-spot upon our national escutcheon ? Upon this question we will endeavour to present a few thoughts in our next." LETTER IV. THE EEMEDY ! THE KEMEDY ! "Havre, Sept. 29th, 1857. "WHAT can be done to reform, or rather to remodel, our entire system of maritiirie service? I mean that motive power, or moral machinery, composed of flesh and blood, and the souls of men employed in commerce, in navigating the seas ? Can any means be devised by which the whole thing can be elevated and placed upon a new and nobler basis, more worthy of a great Christian nation, and more in accordance with the amazing increase of our commerce and our national wealth ? Yes, much may be done, if the public mind can be duly awakened to the subject. But at this very point a chill seizes me, and the very ink seems to congeal in my pen. Here my faith staggers, and the cause looks hopeless. I am not so vain as to suppose that, in any suggestions I may make on the subject, I shall hit the exact thing to be done, by no means ; but one thought may lead to another, and that to a third, and so on till the right ball be touched then let it be set rolling. Hence, 'he that hath a dream, let him tell a dream/ " Of all nations upon the earth, our great American Union should be the most thoroughly awake to the proper education of the masses. Their moral, religious, and intellectual culture should be an object toward which the whole national heart should warmly beat ; for among the masses will be found many pearls of great price, which, if left to grow in the mire, AMERICAN SEAMEN. 13-5 will erelong become the very swine that will turn and rend the nation. " It is, to be sure, not a little gratifying to notice that, within the last quarter of a century, this subject has taken a deeper and firmer hold than formerly upon the public mind : many and able have been the advocates of so adapting our school system to the wants of the country, that no class of men should be excluded. Hence our Normal and Polytechnic schools, our Farmers' Colleges and Mechanics' Institutes, with other kindred institutions, serve as an index of the public sentiment, and an implied acknowledgment that all classes of men, whatever be their calling, need some kind of mental and moral culture, to qualify them for the proper discharge of their respective duties. " Yet, strange as it may appear, while every other depart- ment of human enterprise has been thought of, and to some extent provided for, no one seems ever to have thought of a school, or the establishment of any institution into which boys could be gathered, educated, and properly trained for that most responsible and perilous of all departments of labour the navigating safely across the seas of our noble ships, freighted with the nation's wealth, and tens of thousands of lives more precious than gold. How marvellouly strange this strikes the mind ! A great commercial Christian nation, with five millions of tonnage of ships, employing Jive hundred thousand men to work them and yet no system of schools no well-digested plan for educating and qualifying this ever- increasing army for their unique and hazardous work ? Nor is our wonder at all lessened, when we reflect that, of all pro- fessions and classes of men, none are so perfectly cut off from all means of improvement, intellectual and moral, after enter- ing upon their calling, as sailors. Farmers and mechanics, artists and artisans, may enjoy the sweets of home, the ele- vating and refining influences of mothers and sisters, together with Sabbaths and sanctuary privileges, concerts and lectures, and a thousand other things well adapted to their moral, 136 TREASURED MOMENTS. intellectual, and religious improvement ; but the sailor, from the moment he enters the forecastle, becomes severed from all these holy, magnetic influences. Hence, if they are ever brought to bear upon his moral and intellectual nature, how assiduously and vigorously should they be applied in early boyhood, before all that is tender and wax-like in his nature be transmuted into marble. Not only so, but from the very nature of their employment, so hazardous, so fearfully responsible, requiring often such wisdom, skill, and ingenuity in sudden and unforeseen emergencies, one might have supposed that, instead of being the last, sailors would have been the very first class of men in the nation, to attract the attention of statesmen and philanthropists, not to say Christians, as their advocates for a proper and early educa- tion ; and especially when we reflect upon the additional fact, that sailors are a kind of embodiment of our national character, sent to all parts of the civilized world, as samples of our manners, refinement, religion, our social habits, moral and intellectual culture -just as our ships are taken as an index of our taste and skih 1 in naval architecture. But how sad to reflect, that the entire energy, skill, and wealth of our great and growing nation, so far as commerce is concerned, have hitherto been expended upon the ships, attracting the admira- tion of the world, by converting them into floating palaces, while the men working these ships, bearing the image of God their Maker, and destined to live, when 'there shall bo no more sea/ have been so utterly disregarded, so neglected and uncared for, as to become a hissing and a byword of reproach among all people and nations. Millions have been expended in adorning and fitting up the cabins with every possible luxury, exhibiting taste and refinement, while the forecastle has been left to become the very cesspool, receiving the refuse and filth of all the nations under heaven. This ought not so to be. " And in reply to the question, ' What can be done to purify and cleanse the forecastle, and elevate the sailor ? ' my own AMERICAN SEAMEN. 137 mind has been led to the following reflections and con- clusions. " 1. That no remedy whatever can reach or correct the evils of which we complain, that does not embrace in its far- reaching plans the establishment and endowment of mari- time schools, for the especial purpose of properly educating and training boys for this already vast and ever-increasing field of human enterprise ; and no longer depend upon the schools of vice, to debase and demoralize a sufficient number of youth to man our ships. " 2. That these schools, to answer their legitimate ends, should be established on the very element on ivhich sailors live, 'move, and have their being. " Perhaps I cannot convey my ideas to the minds of your readers more clearly, than to make the following supposition : " Take old Massachusetts, whose enlightened views and far- reaching legislative acts, on the subject of education and reform, have in many respects been considered as models : and suppose, when legislating for that noble institution, the Reform School at Westfield, they had enlarged their plans, divided or doubled their appropriations, and instead of one, established two schools upon the same principle, to be under the same strict discipline, the same moral and religious instruc- tion, only that one should be established on the land, the other on the sea. Then, as the little urchins were caught about the streets, or in any part of the state, and found to be lawful candidates for the Reform School, give them a choice put the question to them : ' Will you be educated and trained for the land or the sea service ? which do you prefer ? ' and those whose inclinations and instincts were all amphibious, send on board the floating school, and let them be trained and educated SAILORS. But by no means limit the school to that class of pupils, but let its doors be wide open to all boys who have an inkling for the sea ; and let the school be of such character that no parent could object, or hesitate for a 138 TREASURED MOMENTS. moment in placing his son under its wholesome laws, and its moral and religious instructions. "And when Massachusetts shall have set the example, let every maritime state in the Union follow. New York should have a half dozen such schools ; and in the present depressed state of commerce, with so many ships lying idle in the har- bour, why not make the experiment ? Who among the New York merchants will offer the first ship, and have it fitted up for such a noble enterprise ? Are there not a few more Grinnels and Coopers, who will lead off in such a work? Would not the legislatures of many of the states make appropriations for such an object, if it were properly presented to them ? There can hardly be a doubt, if a sufficient amount of public interest can be awakened on the subject. But in case of such appropriations, let Christians be vigilant, and see to it that they are not made under such restrictions as to exclude the great moral and religious element so absolutely needed in training youth for any profession, but especially for the seas. I have not one particle of confidence in any system of education or reform that does not recognise in its theory, and practically embrace in its teachings, and in all its moral and intellectual instruction, the Word of God as the only rule of faith and practice and to be received, too, in all its richness and fulness, its purity and sublimity, unmixed and unadulterated by any of the modern nostrums of the day, come from what source they may, from common or uncommon sense, from white-washed pelagianism, or semi-infidelity. Let the Bible, the book of books, stand forth in its native strength, and speak for itself, with all its sharp evangelical corners, just as God has given it, and just as our old Puritan fathers received and taught it. The importance of this has often been most strikingly illustrated here in Havre. In the hospital, I pass from cot to cot, feeling the moral pulse, probing the con- science, trying to grope my way through the dark passage of the understanding to the heart. Oh, what dreary arid deserts ! Stumbling over dead men's bones, and the bones of all the AMERICAN SEAMEN. 139 saints in the calendar, till I come to one of the real old- fashioned sons of New England, reared in some secluded spot in the mountains of New Hampshire or Vermont, but where the Bible and the New England Primer had found their way, and where a pious mother had taught him, while lying in her arms, to lisp out an answer to the question ' What is the chief end of man ?' and there I find an under- standing more enlightened, a conscience more quickened, and a soil better prepared for the seed of the kingdom, than can be found under the teachings and vagaries of all the virgins that have lived and dreamed from the days of Mary the first, down to Catherine the last. Tares may have sprung up, but wheat from the Lord's garner could be clearly distinguished, sown there by a mother's hand, watered by a mother's tears, preserved and vegetating by the Spirit of God, in answer to a mother's prayers. Let these schools, therefore, be officered by, and be in charge and under the control of, evangelical Christian men. Without this, their education would but increase the power of evil. Shut out from these floating schools the blessed Bible, with its heart-searching evangelical teachings, and you may at once begin ' to lighten the ship, cast out the wheat into the sea, take up her anchors, loose her rudder-bands, hoist up the main-sail to the wind, and let her drive ; ' for destruction and misery are in her path, and the way of safety and peace she cannot know. " As to all the details in conducting such schools, I leave them to wiser and more experienced heads. I do, however, an- ticipate objections, and among them, perhaps the most serious will be, that of the expenses of keeping up such schools. Ee- form schools on land are, to some extent, self-supporting schools. " But could not these floating schools be placed upon such a footing, and be conducted upon such a system, as greatly to diminish expenses? The boys would, of course, be taught to make, wash, and mend their own clothes, and do their own cooking ; and many other kinds of handicraft would no doubt be thought of, which might greatly aid in lessening the 140 TREASURED MOMENTS. expense. In the winter season they could float off to the sunny south, anchor in some safe harbour, and thereby make a saving in fuel ; and if provided with Collins's axes, they could spend a week's holiday in the beautiful pine woods of North Carolina, Georgia, or Florida, where the rich pines lie so thick upon the ground, that the owners would be thank- ful to have them out of the way ; and while it might not be a profitable business for merchants in Boston or New York to charter a ship, and hire men to cut and split that wood for a northern market, it might afford a very profitable and pleasant pastime to 200 boys at school, each of whom might lay his two cords of wood on the wharf of either of those cities, with no other expense or inconvenience than that of giving a jubilee to the boys. Another pleasant and not unprofitable holiday could be spent on the Banks of Newfoundland, catch- ing fish. But I will not enlarge ; others may think of far wiser and more lucrative plans. Let us, on the other hand, look at some of the many advantages that would accrue from the organisation of such schools. " 1. The boys in these schools would receive an early mental discipline, exactly suited to their profession ; they would become accustomed to regular habits, and acquire a just appreciation of law and order two words that have become almost obsolete in our fast age and progressive country. "2. They would acquire habits of cleanliness, which Wesley said, ' was next to godliness/ and which at present is so wofully neglected by our sailors, as to be a disgrace to the nation. Sailors will never learn to respect themselves or anybody else, so long as they are allowed to go ragged and filthy both on the ship and on shore. " 3. They would receive that 'moral and religious train- ing, and that Biblical instruction, which more than all other classes and professions the sailor needs, for the reason before stated, that after entering upon his work, he becomes in a measure severed from God's appointed means. " 4. Such schools would furnish employment for many of AMERICAN SEAMEN. 141 our good pious sea captains, some of whom have been driven from the sea by the terrible wickedness of their compeers, and who, with their pious wives, would like just such labours of love, and be pre-eminently qualified for their work. There are other teachers also, male and female, who have become worn out, whose lives and usefulness would be prolonged by a transfer from land-schools to those floating upon salt water. Also, worn-out pastors, whose strength and vigour would revive by becoming chaplains and religious teachers in these floating schools. And in most cases we should hope that commanders, officers, chaplains, and teachers would not only be married men, but have their wives with them ; for, next to the Bible, I should consider the importance of securing in these schools the gentle, softening, elevating, and refining influences of godly women. The absence of that influence is one of the banes of commerce. "5. Though last, not least, such schools would be the means of saving tliousands and tens of thousands of our youth throughout the country, sons of wealthy, respectable families, and of widows, who have an inkling for the sea, or have become wild and intractable at home. These parents refuse their consent to a seafaring life, because of the desperate character of sailors, until at length these reckless boys run away, plunge into the forecastle, and are lost to their parents and to the world ; when, if these floating schools were estab- lished upon a truly moral and religious basis, under the control and guidance of good religious men, the anxious mother would pack her son's chest, and send him on board with a glad and hopeful heart. Hence, these schools would become as nets or life-boats, to catch and save alive the wild and reckless youth of our country, that are now rushing headlong to destruction ; or like the cities of refuge in Israel, into which they could run and be saved. " Now, if self-interest were not so blind, so short-sighted, we might hope that, from mere motives of economy, these schools would be at once established and liberally endowed. 142 TREASURED MOMENTS. " Let us look at a few facts, and then make our calculations The New York Courier and Inquirer says : ' During the seven months of the present year, the American vessels lost number 386. Total value is 10,943,200 dollars.' In the Sea Bird, under the head of ' Marine Losses/ is the following : ' The loss by marine insurance companies in 1856 was esti- mated at 26,000,000 dollars ; two-thirds of this amount fell upon New York City.' Now, contrast the above with the following, clipped from the Christian Observer : ' Of the 1 30 vessels sent out from the United States to Liberia, by the Colonisation Society, since 1 820, all ha,ve arrived safe, without having to make any claim on the insurance offices for damages/ Here are facts for New York merchants and insurance com- panies to look at ' and inwardly digest.' Can this startling contrast be rationally accounted for ? Nothing is more easy nothing more legitimate or philosophical. The Colonisation Society, with a duly enlightened conscience, feeling a proper degree of responsibility to God and to the world for the precious lives committed to their trust, and remembering also that they were handling charity funds, exercised great care and vigilance in selecting wise, prudent, sober, discreet, well- trained, and conscientious men, masters, officers, and crews, to navigate their ships to Liberia. That is the whole secret. In a word, they employed just such men as we propose to educate and train up in these floating schools. And the proposition we make to New York merchants and insurance companies is this, instead of sinking twenty-six millions of dollars an- nually in the seas, in consequence of having to employ worthless, drunken, inexperienced men, let them just take a small part of that sum, say a twentieth, and begin the estab- lishment of these floating schools, and thus educate and train up a class of men who will navigate their ships safely ; and in a few years they will find their twenty-six millions gradually returning to their pockets. We may, therefore, strongly urge the claims of these schools upon the simple ground of economy ; and there surely can be found, in Wall Street, men sufficiently versed in figures, to cipher this out. AMERICAN SEAMEN. 143 " But there is another ground another law of our nature, that we might hope to bring to our aid in pleading this cause, were we writing upon any other subject. " We are proud of our wide domain, our inland seas, noble rivers, boundless prairies, inexhaustible soil, and mineral re- sources ; yea, proud of our navy and naval ships ; ay, and our merchant ships too. Yes, we look with an eye of proud self- complacence upon everything over which our national flag floats, till we come down into the forecastle, and behold there a nest of filthy, squalid bipeds, covered with dirt and rags, from whom the stranger turns away with loathing, and sarcas- tically inquires, ' whether these are a specimen of American citizens ? ' Oh, how it makes the true American blush for his country ! And methinks, our very flag, had it but the in- stincts of life, would wrap itself tight around the mast, and refuse to let her stripes and stars be seen, till something be done to lift the sailor from the level of the brute into some- thing that approximates a 'rational, civilised being. " Why should we not, as a Christian nation, feel as much pride in the intelligence, virtue, refinement, and noble bearing of our sailors, who work the ship, as we do in the ship itself ? " Where is the ship-master, that would not at once be dis- placed, as unfit to command, were he to enter port with his ship all covered with filth and dirt, and everything helter- skelter about the deck ? Yet, this is invariably the condition of his crew when they enter port, while they are in it, and when they leave it. " Again, why is it that we, as a people emphatically com- mercial 'and peaceful, take such an interest in the character and respectability of the men connected with our naval ser- vice, while those employed in our merchant service, numbering fifty to one of the former, and on whom our national pros- perity and wealth more directly depend, and whose influence for good or for evil is more widely diffused why is it, I ask, that these 500,000 citizens, in our peaceful merchant service, fail to excite any general interest or any laudable pride for ]44 TREASURED MOMENTS. their appearance or well-being, either at home or abroad ? Is there not here a radical error, or something worse, that needs to be looked after and corrected ? IN CONCLUSION, I wish to make one or two suggestions, and I will do it in the shape of questions. " First. Could not crews be shipped upon such terms or conditions, as to be as perfectly under the control and direc- tion of the masters and officers while in port, as when at sea ? Many and great would be the blessings following such a system : and I suggest this as one of the important means of reform. It is a question that has recently been put to me several times by a wealthy shipping-merchant of this city, and under very interesting cirsumstances. In the improve- ments going on in Havre, the old Banking-house of France an enormous building, standing just where a sailors' boarding- house ought to stand is thrown into market. This Christian gentleman, who is deeply interested in the improvement of sailors, has his eye upon it for that purpose ; hence his repeated questions to me : Whether, in case of his fitting it up as a first-rate respectable boarding-house, with libraries, reading-rooms, &c., our American ship-masters could so con- trol the sailors, as to secure their patronage ? Oh, if such a thing could be done, how many would 'be saved from prison, and from an untimely ignominious death ! " Second. Is it not desirable, and would it not be practicable, for the merchants of our large commercial cities to adopt some simple rules, requiring a uniform dress for our sailors ? If they had but a decent dress to put on, when in foreign ports, it would do much to give them a sense of self- respect. " They often make their filth and rags an excuse for not coming to chapel, and their slovenly, rowdy-like appearance is certainly a reproach to any people. I do not suppose it possible, nor may it be desirable, to nationalise any one style AMERICAN SEAMEN. 145 of uniform for sailors : but let each city, like independent militia companies, adopt their own rules, and designate their own style of dress ; and all the better, if some kind of emula- tion could be excited between the different cities, as to which turned out the finest sailors, with the neatest and most becoming and appropriate uniforms. Then, as we beheld them in a foreign port like this, passing through the streets, we could recognise them : ' There goes a Boston blue, there a New York gray, and there a Philadelphia drab.' Aye, and as they crowd into the chapel, and divide off in companies, a Boston crew filling up this corner ; a Baltimore crew entering that door, and taking the middle block ; Charlestown and New Orleans crews coming in by another door, and filling the entire house all known and recognised by their respective uniforms all educated and trained in the new floating school s so thoroughly disciplined that their very step is like the tread of a soldier all so neat, so clean, and what is more, so well taught in the Scriptures, that the chaplain rises with tears of joy, full of hope and faith, and scatters broad-cast the seed of the kingdom, in the full assurance that much of it is falling upon good ground, that will spring up, and bear fruit to the praise and glory of God's grace ; then would chaplains begin to reap a harvest and report to the Society such rich blessings upon their labours, as clearly to indicate the dawn of a better day, even that day, ' when the abundance of the sea shall be converted to God.' " A few Sabbaths ago, the chapel was quite filled with English sailors, a homogeneous set, all neatly clad in uniform dress, with clean wide and open collars, thrown back over the shoulders. With their brawny hands they seized the Bible and Hymn-book, joined heartily in the singing, followed the reading of the Scriptures, listened with intense interest to the sermon, while the big tears would occasionally course down their sun-burnt cheeks ; and at the close of the service, as they with slow and measured steps withdrew from the house an American captain said to me, as I descended from the K 146 TREASURED MOMENTS. pulpit, ' What would I not give to select a crew for my ship out of the sailors you had here to-night/ Yes, no matter what may be the character of a ship-master, or what may be his infidel principles, when he wants a good crew for his ship, he will at any time give a premium for such sailors as have the fear of God before their eyes and the love of God in their hearts. And why may we not have such sailors to man our ships ? Where does the blame lie ? Who will be found responsible when the sea shall give up its dead ? For one, I am anxious, the Lord being my helper, to clear my own skirts of blood ; and let every man connected with our commerce, look to his own garments in this matter. If no change, no improvement, no reform can be expected, I beg to be recalled, and transferred to another field. If all these terrible vices, cruelties, and brutal murders ; all this low vulgarity, ignorance and wretchedness, are to be considered inseparable to the business, a part and parcel of commerce, then God speed the day, when ' there shall be no more sea/ '* 147 NOTES FROM MY DIARY. MY DEAR SIR, Do not think for a moment that I have lost sight of the subject of my last communication. My heart is still burdened with it the theme is fruitful and frightful ; but my labours here have become so multiform and extended, so con- suming to time and strength, that I can make no calculation of a single quiet hour in advance. I seize my pen at this moment with more than usual confidence, because the watch- man's midnight cry assures me that "all is well;" of course I am included, and if the whole city can sleep in peace, why may I not hope to write in peace ? I will try. In the most difficult fields of labour, and amid the darkest hours, when discouragements thicken, and faith begins to waver, our covenant-keeping God often rebukes our unbelief, and revives our drooping spirits by some sudden manifestation of his love and power to save. For months I had been labouring hard and spending much of my time and strength at the hospital, among the maimed, the sick, and the dying ; as numbers would increase, I would increase my visits. I tried to be faithful, as one who must give an account. In my instructions and in the distribution of tracts, I aimed to adapt them to the variety of character and conditions of mind pointing the dying to the Lamb of God ; the thoughtless and the hardened to the thunder of the Divine law, as a school- master ; and the unclean and polluted, to that Fountain opened in the house of David, for the cleansing of all sin ; but with all the preaching, praying, and the reading of Bibles K 2 148 TREASURED MOMENTS. and tracts, I have often to leave those halls of misery and wailing with a sad heart, exclaiming with the prophet, " Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed ?" To be sure they would all listen respectfully, some with apparent feeling and tearful eyes, but there was wanting that deep contrition of soul, that godly sorrow of sin, that loathing of self, which are so manifestly the fruits of the Holy Spirit ; and, what was still more painful, I noticed in many cases, as they became convalescent, they became less docile and less susceptible to religious impressions ; or, in other words, the brighter the prospects of restoration to health, the weaker became the power of truth upon their hearts and con- sciences and then, as soon as they are out, like birds of passage, they are off beyond our reach. O, what faith and patience, and long-suffering are necessary to labour in such a field, and among such a people 1 Nevertheless, while we are casting forth seed to be scattered beside all waters, our Heavenly Father, the great husbandman, permits it sometimes to germinate under our own eye, that our faith may not fail. FAITH STRENGTHENED BY SIGHT. The following is an instance of this kind : it came upon me like an electric spark, or one of those scintillations that sometimes dart athwart your path, from the darkest cloud, shedding light and inspiring hope amid the surrounding gloom. In one of my strolls among the ships, a few days since, at flood-tide, just as they were opening the gates for the egress of such vessels as were outward bound and ready for sea, and just as I had stepped from a ship upon the wharf, an old sailor dropped his bundle of clothes, and seizing me with both hands, burst into tears, exclaiming, " O, how glad I am to meet you, I was afraid I should never see you again, for my ship is just going out ; I've not a moment to spare, but I must tell you what the Lord has done for my soul since I saw you, and to beg you to continue your visits to the hospital. You don't know how many will bless you." AMERICAN SEAMEN. 149 Perceiving that I did not readily bring him to my mind, he continued, " Why, don't you know me ? Don't you remember how you talked to me about my wicked ways, and gave me the two tracts one to warn me against the spirit that kills the body ; and the other begging me to receive the Spirit that saves the soul ! and O, the Lord has blessed them both to me. I have dashed the one for ever from my lips, and have opened my heart to the other. Yes, and he has entered, and he dwells there, ' to will and to do of his own good pleasure/ Yes, I feel him working in me now. For twenty years I have been a curse to my family, now I am going home to bless them but my ship is moving, I must run, good-bye, God bless you, don't forget the hospital.'* A MOTHER'S HEART GLAD. Another little incident which has made one mother's heart glad, and may perhaps cheer others in like circumstances, increase their hope and trust in God, and incite them to more earnest prayers for their absent sons, and for those who are labouring to save them. On my last visit to the hospital before leaving for England, I espied a young lad, some 13 or 14? years of age, seated beside the couch of a sick sailor. I at first took him to be a waiting boy of the establishment, and addressed him in French ; perceiving he did not understand me, and discovering at the same time his right hand bound up, I said to him, " You are not a patient here, are you ?" " Yes, sir," " What, and a sailor too ?" " Yes, sir." Looking at him steadily in the eye for some seconds, I said to him, "You ran away from your mother, did you not?" His head dropped as though a bullet had passed through it ; soon tears began to flow upon his bandaged hand, as it lay upon his breast, and then came the answer eking out slowly, " Yes, sir, I did." " What is your name ?" " Hugh Thomas, sir/' "Where does your mother live?" "In Scotland, sir." " What part of Scotland ? " " Edinburgh, sir." " Does your mother know where you are?" "No, sir." "Well, I anv 150 TREASURED MOMENTS. going to England to-morrow, and may go to Edinburgh. Are you willing to give me your mother's name and address, and have me call on her ?" " Yes, sir : my mother's name is Mary Reed Thomas, and lives at No. 1, Market Place." Enter- ing this in my memorandum book, and after a few words of wholesome advice to the lad, and a parting address to those whom I no more expected to see this side of the grave, I left the hospital, returned home, packed my trunk, and at eleven o'clock that night was on my way to London, and in some two weeks after, I was threading my way through the narrow lanes and alleys of Edinburgh in search of " No. 1 , Market Place" That number was at last found, but those acquainted with the old parts of Edinburgh know full well, that there is a very wide difference between the horizontal No. 1 , and the perpendicular No. 10. Courage and strength are often equal to the attainment of the first, and then utterly fail in reaching the last. I cast one despairing look up those interminable spiral stairs ; I thought of Bunker Hill monument; I thought of steam power and almost all kinds of power ; but none coming to my relief, I commenced slowly the formidable ascent, and soon found the object of my pursuit, the mother of Hugh Thomas, with her thirteenth living child in her arms. I was almost ready to forgive poor Thomas. The moment I announced my name, and where I was from, she gave a shriek, and then found relief in a flood of tears. At first I was at a loss to understand this, for as yet I had not mentioned her son's name ; but as soon as she was able to speak, she revealed the. secret, by saying, "My poor boy, as soon as you left the hospital, though unable to write himself, on account of his injured hand, procured the assistance of another sailor, and informed me of your expected visit, and of the good advice you gave him, and his resolution to follow it : and O, how thankful I am that the Lord directed you to my dear child : I don't think he would have had the courage to let us know where he was if you had not found him out, for he says your talking to him did him good, and he means to follow your AMERICAN SEAMEN. 151 advice : he is a good boy, and has a kind heart ; he knows the Bible well. I am sure he will be a Christian, for I pray for him every day." After a few words of consolation, and a short prayer, I took leave of the Christian mother, somewhat inspired with her assurance that her prayers would prevail, and that her dear sailor boy would become a Christian. O, the power of a mother's love, and when sanctified by religion how does it strengthen the cords that bind a wayward child to her bleeding heart ! INSTRUCTIVE INCIDENT. One other incident illustrative of God's especial providence. A few Sabbaths ago, I was unable to fix my mind upon any other subject than that of "blind Bartimeus," and the obstacles he met with in coming to the Saviour. To whatever other text I turned, however rich in thought, my mind refused to act, and seemed utterly incapable of bringing anything new or old out of it. As turns the needle to the pole, so would my mind revert to the poor blind man, sitting by the wayside in his tattered garments, crying to Jesus for mercy. I went into the pulpit with my soul burdened with the difficulties which sinners meet with in coming to the Lord Jesus Christ, both from the world and from the church ; and in specifying them, I held up Bartimeus as an example worthy of imitation : instead of yielding to the difficulties, do as he did, " cry a great deal the more, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy upon me," &c., &c. On my way home, a lady said to me, "Did you notice how deeply affected that young man was who sat in the pew near me how continually he wept ; he seemed in great distress, and I think the sermon must have touched his heart." The next day a gentleman said to me, " When you have time to spare, I want to take you and introduce you to a very in- teresting young man, who wishes to make your acquaintance. His parents are Roman Catholics ; and on sending him to London to acquire a knowledge of the English language, he 152 TREASURED MOMENTS. stepped into a Methodist chapel one Sabbath, and became deeply interested in the truth ; and on writing to his parents on the subject, they became alarmed, and ordered him home ; and yesterday, by accident or design, he stumbled into your chapel, and was so wrought upon by what he heard, and went home with his heart so set upon being a Christian, that his parents have reluctantly yielded, and said to him this morning, 'Well, if you will be a heretic, be a heretic, and take the consequences.' "* After listening to this, I thought I could see the reason why my mind refused to act upon any other subject than one that should pourtray the difficulties in the way of coming to Jesus, the absolute necessity in the sinner's case of overcoming them, and the equal necessity of his seeking and securing Divine aid to give him the victory. Truly the Lord worketh in man, " both to will and to do of his own good pleasure ;" and happy the man who lieth passive in his hand, and can say at all times, "Not my will, but thine, O Lord, be done I" NOTES AND INCIDENTS (continued.} HAVRE. The importance of this port as a station for missionary labours for seamen, will be seen from the fact, that 5,454! vessels in the foreign trade arrived in the port of Havre in 1852, having 927,950 tons, manned by at least 56,000 seamen. The number engaged in the coasting trade is probably as great. Of the foreign vessels, 196 were American, measuring 153,170 tons, and having some 5,000 men. * This young man became hopefully converted, and in about a year from the time of his conversion he fell into a decline, and died a happy death. Though opposed by his parents, he would see me, and with a sweet smile told me how the love of Christ filled his soul, and what perfect confidence he felt in com- mitting his soul and body, and all he had, into his hands. AMERICAN SEAMEN. 153 In the abundance and variety of my labours here, I find none more important, and none that has yielded more hopeful fruit, than my daily visitations to the hospital. Here I meet poor sailors from almost all climes and countries, and lan- guages and religions, arid of every variety of character and experience, and of all ages, from the little flaxen-headed boy that has run away from his parents, up to the old veteran who has spent a half-century on the seas, and has a wife and half-a-dozen children, in some distant part of the world. During the last week, the following cases occurred, which will give you an idea of the faith, patience, and nerves a man needs in labouring in such a field : One poor fellow, perfectly crazy at times, his head swollen and his limbs bruised, brought in from a ship from New Orleans. In his lucid moments I have drawn out his history. He was in New Orleans on a visit, ignorant of the ways of the world ; was invited on board a ship by one who pretended to be his friend, and who wished to give him a little pleasure-trip. He at length missed his friend, and, reaching the mouth of the river, he found, to his great dismay, that he had been sold as a sailor, and was bound to Havre. Not knowing a rope in the ship, was beaten almost to death by the officers of the ship. To the shame of Americans be it said, such cases are of frequent occurrence. The poor fellow is still in the hospital, and it is doubtful whether he will ever be restored to his right mind. While talking to this marff another is brought in who had just fallen from the yard-arm upon the anchor lying on the deck. He remained in awful agony for a few hours, and died. I buried him the next day. A third one, brought in with a leg so mangled he had to have it amputated ; he is recovering. Another, who has the small-pox, a very bad case, and his recovery is doubtful. I go to a cot in the corner ; there lies an old Norwegian, who has followed the seas thirty-nine years. When I spoke to him about his soul, the way of salvation through Christ, and of the precious Bible, he wept like a child. " Oh/' said he, " I have forgotten all about that book ; 15-i TREASURED MOMENTS. my poor mother taught me to read it, but I have not seen a Bible since I first went to sea." Oh ! thought I, what a comment upon a seafaring life. Thirty-nine years ivithout a Bible ! He has nearly recovered, and I trust he never will go to sea again without his Bible. I now turn to another part of the ward, and there are three lads the oldest sixteen, the other two only fourteen years of age ; all these are from British ships. The eldest is very ill with the dysentery; I think he cannot live. I have conversed much with him ; he seems to understand the way of salvation through Christ ; and I cannot but hope has been brought, by the Holy Spirit, to embrace Christ as his Saviour. I saw him yesterday ; I thought it doubtful if he lived through the night : he is from the north of England. Of the two younger, one is from Scotland ; and when I discovered that he could not read, I expressed my surprise that a boy from Scotland could not read. He then frankly told me it was nobody's fault but his own. His mother wanted him to go to a Sabbath school, and rather than do it he ran away. He has, however, promised, as soon as he is able to be out, to come to the chapel and attend our Sabbath school, and learn to read. The other little fellow is from the north of England, can read, and loves to receive tracts, and seems to be well-informed on religious subjects. My congregation fluctuates sometimes large and hopeful ; then the ships go out, and a different class comes in, so that an abiding trust in God is my only source of hope and comfort, Yet never were my labours more abundant, and never have I seen a fairer prospect of reaping an abundant harvest. My congregation has more than doubled within the last six months. A great increase of young men French, German, Swiss regularly attend, especially our Sabbath-evening ser- vice. It may be that some attend from no higher motive than to improve their knowledge of the English language ; be that as it may, they certainly give the most profound attention to the word preached ; and while their motives may be low, God's motives may be as high and as holy as heaven itself, AMERICAN SEAMEN. 155 and like another Delamare, instead of the English language, the Holy Spirit may be teaching them the "language of Canaan." My hope and daily prayer is, that many Timothies may yet be found among them, and who may some day preach the glorious gospel of God our Saviour, when the tongue to which they now listen shall be silent in the grave. We have also an interesting Sabbath school, into which we are gathering the outcasts ; and a Bible class, with some serious minds ; one of whom, a young English girl, gives pleasing evidence of a change of heart. She has visited me at my study once a week, for the last two months, anxiously inquiring to know, " What she shall do to be saved ?" My visits at the hospital are frequent, and at times of thrilling interest. Occasionally I meet with rebuffs from sailors, which, together with the precarious state of my support here, causes me almost to sink in despair ; and at times, when I have apparently reached the lowest ebb, the Lord in mercy sends me some drop of comfort. I then feel ashamed of my distrust and unbelief, and, like Peter, "go out and weep bitterly." A few Sabbaths ago, I entered my study in the morning, much dejected, having had my faith severely tried through the week in meeting the annual bills, that pressed sorely upon me. I tried to cast my burden upon Him who careth for UP, but I could not cast it off. I tried to pray, but my prayers were but a "chattering noise." I could not lay hold of the promises all was dark ; and I was tempted to doubt whether I was doing any good, and whether I ought not at once to leave Havre. While in this agony of mind, I heard a tap at my door. I opened it ; a boy handed me a letter, which I broke open, and read as follows : " DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST, I hope the Lord will con- tinue to bless your labours in this city. Sure I am that many of my countrymen will, in the great day of judgment, bless God that they ever came to Havre, and have heard the gospel 156 TREASURED MOMENTS. from your lips. Many a good minister of Christ in that day will no doubt be surprised at the harvest gathered from seed which he sowed in tears while on earth. And now, as there are some praying sailors in port, who believe that God hears and answers prayer, and who love to hold up the hands of their minister, will you have the kindness to appoint an extra prayer-meeting this evening, immediately after divine service, and oblige many friends ? May the Lord bless and prosper you in your great work in this dark land, and to God be all the glory. (Signed) " AN ENGLISH CAPTAIN." Had a voice from heaven called audibly to me, I do not think it would have taken me more on surprise than did this letter. The prayer-meeting was appointed, and a precious meeting it was. The next day I received another letter from a pastor in the south of France, giving a most interesting account of how the Lord was blessing the preaching of the Word in his congregation, and of God's great mercies to him and to his aged parents ; and finally concluded his letter by breaking forth into the most rapturous strains of praise and heartfelt gratitude to God, for having led him, when a young man a clerk in a counting-house, and a bigoted Roman Catholic into the English and American chapel, where he heard that glorious gospel preached which led him first to Christ, then into the ministry ; and closed his letter by subscribing himself, " Your most grateful and affectionate son in the faith, "Louis DELAMARE." I scarcely need add, that these two letters crimsoned my cheeks with shame, that I should ever become so faithless and unbelieving, Avhen God is pleased so often to cheer me with tokens of his love and covenant mercies. " O Lord, I would believe, help thou mine unbelief," is my daily prayer. But AMERICAN SEAMEN. my letter is already too long. Pray for me, and for God's blessing upon my labours, without which " I labour in vain, and spend my strength for naught." "Havre, May 21, 1858. "My DEAR FRIEND, " I do indeed wish to remain here at my post and see the salvation of God, in the conversion of souls, for I verily believe the Lord is among us, doing that work. A fact or two I will give you : " For several Sabbaths, my own mind seemed disposed to hover around the few first chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. You will at once perceive the train of thought that must have been suggested. The temper, spirit, faith, and prayer of primitive Christians the wonderful pouring out of God's Spirit the establishment of the first Christian Church in the midst of a 'glorious revival' the scriptural authority for praying for, and expecting 'revivals' in every age the reasons why the Church of Christ has not been blessed more fre- quently with 'revivals,' &c., &c. Of course, my sermons, to be consistent with such awakening themes, must haVe been more or less searching, and upon some hearts they seemed to act 'as a refiners fire, and like fuller's soap! At the same time I was receiving, from week to week, letters and papers giving details of that ' Great Awakening' in America, some- times referring to it and stating facts, such as I thought calcu- lated to give confidence, and increase the faith of God's children in these wonderful seasons of the 'outpouring of God's Spirit.' General solemnity, some deep feeling, tearful eyes, a few anxious inquirers, and two or three hopeful con- versions have been the results up to last Saturday. I had been praying and hoping that God in his providence would send along some brother, fresh from under the cloud, who had received a new baptism, and who had been an eye-witness of 158 ' TREASURED MOMENTS. the melting scenes in New York, Philadelphia, and other places, and who would remain long enough with us to give his own testimony. But though several arrived on the different steamers, all were in too great a hurry to tarry even for a night, until last Friday the 'Arago' came into port, bringing Rev. Dr. Fred. Monod, his new-bo son, with other converts, and in these have my hopes and prayers been answered. " On Saturday evening, Dr. Monod met his relatives and friends at a prayer-meeting, at his brother's house, in which he gave a thrilling account of what his own eyes had seen of God's wonderful work, now going on in the United States. At the close of his remarks, his son, some twenty years of age, who had been with his father in all his travels had been educated for the law had never given his attention much to religious subjects but the ardour of his new-born soul must have vent, and he began very humbly and modestly to give his own views, and to tell what the Lord had done for his soul, till every heart was moved, and eyes unaccustomed to weep were bathed in tears. At the close of the meeting, after much persuasion, Dr. Monod consented to address my congregation on Sabbath morning insisting, however, upon my preaching my regular sermon, and he following it .up by narrating facts respecting the ' Great Awakening.' Last Sabbath, therefore, was a day long to be remembered here in Havre. An unusually large assembly. I read the fifteenth chapter of Luke, took the tenth verse for my text, cut my sermon very short ; but the impression upon the audience was marked and visible to all. Dr. Monod began by stating his own former doubts in the genuineness of what had been called ' American Revivals;' then stated, that whatever might have been the character of former revivals, it seemed impossible to doubt but that this was a real, genuine work, wrought in the hearts of men by the power of the Holy Spirit ; and, to use the language of one of their own divines, ' It was a revival not got up, but brouyltt down from heaven.' He then remarked, AMERICAN SEAMEN. 159 how solemn, silent, and calm, yet tender and impressive, were all their meetings ; and that a man speaking five minutes in their prayer-meetings, with such tenderness in his heart, and such an unction upon his lips, as at once to melt a congrega- tion of 4,000 people into tears. 'O/ said he, 'it was good to be there ; I went for the purpose of bringing back gold, as you all know ; but I have/ added he, ' brought back that which is infinitely better/ In the afternoon, he addressed the French congregation in our chapel on the same subject, and I trust many a Christian heart has been quickened into new life, their faith increased and strengthened, and that we shall behold some blessed results. And my own faith in the results has been a little strengthened by the following inci- dents, which have occurred since the Sabbath. "You will bear in mind, that all this foregoing narrative is designed to convey this simple idea, that the people of Havre, as in ah 1 France, know little, and believe nothing in 'revivals,' and not many of them believe in the necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit ; hence my great aim for months has been by the help of the Lord to root out this unbelief, this infidelity, even among professed Cliristians, respecting this glorious work of the Holy Spirit ; but to the facts. INCIDENTS. " On Tuesday of this week, the servant tapped at my door, informing me that two ladies had called wishing to see me. I told her to invite them up into my study. I saw at once they were troubled in spirit, as their tremulous words soon proved. For more than three months they had attended the chapel ; living near to each other, they had walked back and forward together, and would talk over the subject of the sermon. Their knowledge of the Bible was very limited ; but they were convinced of the operations of the Holy Spirit, from what they had felt the last few days ; that such was the burden of sin upon their consciences, that they could not find rest or peace ; and they had now walked nearly three miles this morning, to have me explain to them more perfectly the 160 TREASURED MOMENTS. nature of that change of heart, or new birth, of which they had heard so much the last Sabbath, &c., &c. I spent an hour in conversation and prayer with them, and they promised to return shortly. " While engaged with them, however, another lady had called, the wife of a gentleman who was formerly an officer in the army of India. Learning that I was engaged, she with- drew, leaving an urgent request that I would call on her at my earliest convenience. Knowing that her husband was absent in London, and that she had rather a troublesome landlord, I suspected that it was some domestic trouble for which she sought my aid and counsel. I called immediately, found her in the parlour with her eldest child, some three years old ; she rang for the nurse to come and take the child, and took a seat near me, very much agitated. She tried to utter a word, but failed ; her lips quivered tears began to fall her heart was too full for utterance. I tried to soothe her, by telling her she might confide fully in me, and to unburden her heart freely. ' It is,' said she, ' this load of sin and guilt that overwhelms me ; for several weeks I have wanted to tell you how I felt, but I could not summon up courage ; and on Sabbath, while you were reading of the prodigal son, and where it says, he came to himself, I said, that is my case exactly ; I have come to myself ; I must return to my Father's house ; and now I wish you to tell me how I can do it/ This fully opened the subject, and I spent some two hours in trying to guide her into the right way then prayed with her. As I parted with her, she begged the privilege of coming to my study for frequent conversation and prayer, as being less liable to noise and interruption. To me, this is a very interesting case ; she is a lady of the highest order of mind the best education that London could afford the Bible all at her fingers' ends ; and yet had never felt the power of God's truth and Spirit upon her heart ; and, as she expressed herself, ' living literally without God, and without hope in the world.' AMERICAN SEAMEN. 161 " Saturday, 22rid. I have had another long and interesting interview with Mrs. . She came to my study in a hurried and agitated manner ; joy and grief seemed blended, and struggling for mastery in her every look, and thrusting her hand into her pocket, drew forth a letter just received from her husband, saying, ' I do think the Lord must be working by his Holy Spirit in the heart of my husband ; let me read you a sentence.' She read as follows : 7 have just paid a visit to our old friend General T , who is on his dying bed ; he cannot live long. I fear he is not prepared to die. Will you call on Mr. Sawtell, and ask an interest in his prayers ? ' Now,' said she, ' I never knew my husband to make such a request before it must be that the Lord is at work in his heart do pray for my husband also.' After a half hour's conversation about her own state of mind, in which I discovered deep and pungent conviction, I took from my library James's Anxious Inquirer, and put it into her hand ; then we knelt down and poured out our prayers to God for General T , herself, and husband. She is to be in is evening again, at our family worship. And as evidence of the earnestness with which she is seeking salvation, and the intensity of her feelings, she inquired with great simplicity, as she was leaving, whether there would be any impropriety in my asking an interest in the prayers of Christians on Sabbath morning on her behalf ; then bursting into tears, said, ' If I should be left to grieve auay the Holy Spirit now, I could never again hope for mercy.' " "HAVBE, Dec. 24, 1858. "MY DEAR SlR, " The fourth year of my labours here, at Havre, since my return, being now near its close, I hasten to give you briefly such information respecting this mission as you may desire. France, and the Continent generally, have, for the last year, remained in a state of quietude, with but few excep- 162 TREASURED MOMENTS. tions worthy of note. Occasionally, and in certain localities, just complaints have been made of the oppressive acts and designs of a designing and crafty priesthood towards Protest- ants ; but generally their persecutions have been foiled, and been made to recoil upon their own heads ; and in many cases a reaction has taken place, that resulted triumphantly ' to the furtherance of the gospel.' " In Havre, the vast amount of English and American com- merce brings the Roman Catholic mind in so close a contact with nominal Protestants, and often with real Christians, as greatly to neutralise the power of Romanism, and hold in abeyance the cunning craftiness of man. Since the last attempt, however, upon the Emperor's life, we have all been more narrowly watched, and kept under strict surveillance, even to the sending spies to the chapel. But all who know me, know that I never dabble in politics, in the pulpit or out, believing fully that a minister of the gospel should have ' a single eye and a single heart! Nor has any one heard from my lips in the pulpit, touching Napoleon III., anything more than an earnest prayer to God ' to preserve his life, shield him from the deadly blow of the assassin, and give to him a new heart and a right spirit, and endow him with that wisdom that cometh from above/ Surely, if he had any faith in prayer, or even if he had none, he could hardly be troubled about it. Nevertheless, not long since, the mayor of Havre received an order from the throne, demanding to know, instanter, ' Where I was born ? ' ' When I was born ? ' and ' Where and when I received holy orders ? ' all of which questions I answered with as much gravity as, under the cir- cumstances, I was able to command ; for I saw at a glance that his Imperial Majesty was simply acting upon the old adage, 'an ounce of prevention is wortli a pound of cure,' or, in other words, he wished to let me know that his ubiquit- ous eye was upon me, therefore ' be cautious what you say.' This admonition was quite unnecessary, for the kingdom about which I preach, and which I was sent here to promote and AMERICAN SEAMEN. 163 build up, is a ' kingdom not of this world ; ' to the interest and welfare of this kingdom I have consecrated my all, soul, body mind, and strength ; therefore ' let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth ; but woe unto him that striveth with his Maker/ in opposing the kingdom of Christ in the earth. " I have never had more encouragement to labour here than at the present time, and never were my labours more abund- ant. Ships are filling the docks, and sailors the hospital, while the prisons receive their proportion, and all receive attention from me. But what has cheered my heart for the last few weeks has been to witness the greatly increased numbers flock- ing to the chapel and the reading-room, and among them are found anxious, inquiring souls. Some of our assemblies have been marked by a peculiar solemnity and deep feeling. A few Sabbath evenings ago, at the close of the service, quite a num- ber of sailors remained to speak to me ; and while in conver- sation with them, an old man, in true sailor garb, rushed into the circle and said, ' I want to know the way to the reading- room/ On handing him a printed card, on which were direc- tions how to find it, I laid my hand kindly on his shoulder, saying, ' You are an old man, and I hope a praying man.' He brushed away a tear, as he said, ' I am beginning to try, sir/ ' Then/ said I, ' do not fail to meet me at the prayer-meeting on Wednesday evening/ and, sure enough, he was among the first there. He seemed much agitated, as if in deep distress and anguish of mind. After prayers, and some general re- marks, and before dismissing the company, I discovered so much solemnity and seriousness, I thought it best to have a personal conversation with each present. I began with the ' old man/ ' How long have you followed the seas ? ' ' More than thirty years/ ' And all this time/ said I, ' without God, and without hope in the world?' 'I don't profess to be a Christian/ said he. ' And are you determined now to seek the Lord while he may be found, and to call upon him while he is near ? ' ' Since coming to Havre/ said he, ' I am beginning to pray ; ' and, while I was solemnly warning him of the 164 TREASURED MOMENTS. danger of delay, and urging upon him the importance of giving his heart at once to God, and making his calling and election sure, I discovered a young man in the corner of the room, with his face buried in his hands, leaning upon the table, and his body shaking as if convulsed with laughter. I expected an unpleasant scene when I should reach that corner, for I had no other thought than that he was making sport of the solemn warning I was giving to the old man ; but, just as I was leav- ing him, I said, ' I would like to have your name, and to know where you are from/ ' Robert Dewar, from Shields, England/ was the answer. ' Have you a family ? ' I asked. Yes/ said he ; ' I have a wife and eight children, and that is my son sitting in the corner/ pointing to that aforesaid young man. I immediately repaired to that corner, and, instead of finding him, as I supposed, laughing, I found him bathed in tears, and in deep distress of mind, on listening to what I had been say- ing to his father. My own heart was deeply moved at this, and I exclaimed to myself, 'Of a truth the Lord is in this place ; it is good to be here ; and may it prove the house of God and the gate of heaven to these precious souls.' Before leaving the room, the father and son both expressed their determination that, ' the Lord being their helper, they would give their hearts to him, and return home giving glory to God, and to praise him for what they had heard and expe- rienced in this place/ Let this aged man and his family be made the subjects of unceasing prayer by all who believe that the prayer of faith prevaileth with God. One of the most dis- couraging features in the character of my congregation is seen in the fact that it is composed of seafaring or wayfaring men who are here to-da,y and off to-morrow T . I am continually drawing a bow at a venture, and, if one be wounded and his heart bleeding, I am not often permitted to know the result; or to gather in harvest of seed that hath been sown in tears. At the hospital there are some half-dozen or more who are more or less anxious ; some two or three that give evidence of a saving change ; also a number of residents who call weekly AMERICAN SEAMEN. 165 at my study to receive instruction and counsel in the way of salvation, and with whom I pray ; altogether some fifteen souls under my instruction, that give me hope that they are not far from the kingdom, and who will soon be seen on the Lord's side. "While the work of preaching the gospel and directing souls to Christ is a very pleasant duty, there are scenes in the course of my labours here through which I have to pass that are exceedingly painful, and tax heavily my sympathies and ner- vous sensibility. To-day, December 27th, I am called to bury a sailor, who was instantly killed on board a ship just leaving port, his legs cut off, and his head split open, by a sad mishap, in clearing her from the wharf. On Saturday last I accom- panied a poor weeping mother, young and beautiful, with an infant in her arms, to the prison, there to meet her hus- band, who, a week before, had shot dead an American sailor, on board an American ship, in which he was first officer. The wife resides in her native city, Liverpool, mother of two chil- dren. He had written to her to meet him here. She arrived without ever hearing what had happened, and for many hours could learn nothing of her husband, no one having the courage to broach the subject to her. Their meeting in prison I will not attempt to describe, but most earnestly do I pray that I may never be called to witness another such a scene. To-day I have been to see the British and American consuls, to see if anything can be done for him, for the sake of his poor wife and children ; but his case appears hopeless." 166 THE GRAVE OF ALONZO C. MARSHALL. " HAVRE, Jan. 27, 1857. " ' And they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.' Zech . xii. 10. " ' My heart is smitten, and withered like grass : so that I forget to eat my bread.' Ps. cii. 4. " ' Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son ! ' 2 Sam. xviii. 33. " Such were the words of Holy Writ forced upon my mind, as I followed to the grave the remains of an only son, reflect- ing upon his untimely death, and upon fond and doting parents, whose house was made desolate, and whose hearts were so soon to be riven by the terrible tidings that awaited them. And as those heart^stricken parents may never enjoy the luxury of planting a rose on his grave, or mingling their tears with his ashes, I have wished, if it were possible, to give them such an idea of his resting-place, that they may, at least in imagination, hover and linger around so cherished a spot of earth as that of the grave of an only son. " The city of Havre, with her immense docks, quays, and basins, is built upon a delta, or rather an oblong plain of level alluvial soil, scarcely raised above high-water mark, formed of deposits, the spoils of two contending forces ocean and river, bounded by the former on the west, and by the latter on the south ; while a high precipitous ridge, running parallel AMERICAN SEAMEN. 167 with the river, forms her northern boundary. The summit of this ridge marks the elevation of the high table-land of the surrounding country. But its western terminus, instead of uniting with the high bluffs on the sea-coast, breaks sud- denly off, so that between the ridge and the bluffs there are deep gorges, ravines, and winding valleys, presenting to the eye every variety of wild and picturesque scenery. Through these gorges beautiful serpentine roads are made, leading to the country. At the very end or break of this ridge, -and about midway from the bed of the valley to its summit, there is formed, as by some sudden freak of nature, a kind of bench or shelf of almost level and singularly diversified grounds, just hid from the gaze of the city, and yet overlooking the waters of the bay ; these grounds have been set apart and consecrated as the resting-place of the dead. A slight fence of frail lattice-work marks the boundary between the Roman Catholic and Protestant part. From every nook and corner of these grounds, and to whatever point of the compass you turn, variety, beauty, and unwonted loveliness greet the eye ; and in some unique spots it would seem as if nature and art had long vied for supremacy. To the north-west, and from the summit of a high precipitous hill, frowns a line of double bastions, backed by impenetrable walls of solid masonry, forming a mighty fortress, and commanding the entrance to the harbour. On the north-east nestles the little coquettish village of San vie, looking as fresh and smiling as a new-blown rose ; and, unlike most French towns, the houses all look neat, and with soft cream-coloured fronts, and a warm southern view, with the sunbeams dancing upon her windows, and pouring forth showers of such dazzling diamonds, that she seems like a con- voy of guardian angels keeping vigilant watch over the sepul- chres of the dead. While to the south-east are the stately mansions and palaces of merchant-princes, embosomed in shady groves, with their flower-gardens, green lawns, and gravelled walks, sparkling fountains, and jets of limpid waters, and carriages rowing noiselessly over smooth macadamised 168 TREASURED MOMENTS. streets, drawn by well-trained steeds, prancing and champing upon the bit under the tight rein of liveried coachmen. " Turn now to the south-west, and the eye, piercing through foliage of overhanging trees, rests with undiminished rapture upon the expanded waters, stretching far into the dim distance, till the gentle swell breaks into foam on the opposite shore of the beautiful Seine ; then to the west, till water and sky blend in one indefinable line of misty vapour. " And here, in the calm twilight of a summer's eve, as you scan this sheet of water, you see it dotted with every descrip- tion of vessel waiting for the tide, nestled into groups, and lying as motionless as the sleeping infant, and, at times, wrapped in sheets of livid fire, as the last rays of the setting sun are reflected from the surrounding mirrored waters. O what an hour, and what a place, while here among the dead, for reflection, prayer, and converse with God ! How still, how solemn ! The mechanic has thrown aside his hammer for the night ; the twittering of the swallow has ceased ; the hum of a busy population has died away upon the ear ; no noise on the land, none on the sea, save, perhaps, the slow and measured dip of the fisherman's oar, returning weary with the fruits of his precarious and hard day's toil. Then let us turn from the living world, and, for awhile, move silently among the dead, and behold the end of all flesh ! But, first, through the Catholic department ; and to the stranger there is here much novelty to awaken curiosity, but more of superstition to excite his pity. Sitting upon the heads of almost all the graves are little miniature houses, like dovecots, of every form and description, with glass fronts, filled with all sorts of devices peculiar to their worship. Images of saints and the Virgin, candles, beads, crucifixes, &c., and, if it be the grave of a child, all kinds of trinkets and toys. A great variety is observable, and each one seems fitted up according to the age of the dead or the taste of the living. Here and there may be seen a perfect mimic church, made entirely of glass, with chancel, altar, chan- deliers, confessional boxes, candlesticks, wax candles and AMERICAN SEAMEN. 169 pictures, statuary, drapery and crosses, indeed every con- ceivable thing which the imagination of man has been able to weave into that idolatrous system ; added to all this is a wooden cross, some six feet high, standing at the head of each grave, hung with wreaths of flowers, either natural or artificial, according to the season of the year ; and as these graves are very close and compact, and interspersed with running vines, flowers, shrubs, and evergreens, it gives to the whole a very peculiar and unique appearance. " But now let us pass through the little wicket-gate into the Protestant ground, and what a contrast ! With few exceptions they are plain, unadorned graves, each marked by a single post, some three inches square, and four to five high, neatly planed and painted black, with its number in white figures, so that by reference to the records kept by the sexton, as to name and profession, place and circumstances of death, &c., sur- viving relations cannot mistake, in case of any change in the subsequent disposal of the body. This Protestant department, therefore, presents to the eye of the stranger little more than a dense forest of black posts. But stop, let us pause a moment, look around, look up. The firmament is beginning to hold out her lights ; one twinkling brilliant after another peers through the azure heights ; and now the broad face of a full-orbed moon is coming laughing over the hills, throwing her pale beams askance a slab of snow-white marble, lying horizontally upon stone pillars some five feet in length and two feet and a half in breadth in the very heart and centre of this forest of black posts. The stranger is attracted to the spot, and, by the soft light of the moon, reads this brief but affecting and impressive memoir : " ' Alonzo C. Marshall, only child of Frederick H. and Anna R. Marshall, of Easton, Washington County, New York, who was instantly killed, by falling from aloft on board the ship Louisiana, from New Orleans to Havre, on the 18th of December, 1855, aged 22 years, 9 months, and 3 days! 170 TREASURED MOMENTS. " The stranger now withdraws himself slowly and pensively from these sad yet attractive grounds, reflecting upon the uncertainty of life, and of all earthly good, and, we would fain hope, with a heart softened and a conscience quickened by this hour's silent converse with the dead. It is just one year to-day since I stood over the open grave of this young man to address the living masters, officers, and sailors, who had followed his remains to his narrow house and to offer up prayer for them, and the distant parents who, as yet, were unconscious of this awful visitation that had left them childless and their house desolate. An earlier notice of this sad event would have been given, but for the belief that I should receive some communication relative to the final dis- posal of the body. And on the 24th September last, Captain Abeel and lady, relatives of the deceased, arrived from Liver- pool to inquire into the expediency of removing the remains to the United States ; but after much reflection and consulta- tion, and ascertaining the difficulties attending it, it was determined to erect the monument described above, and, accordingly, they placed in my hands the funds to do it. The monument being now completed in accordance to their wishes, I have thought it due to the afflicted parents and surviving relatives, to give this detailed account of it. I may add that he was no common sailor, but had risen as first officer, and was expecting the next voyage to command a ship. His death was sudden, and he died respected and beloved by all who knew him. Let every sailor, and every American that comes to. Havre, visit the grave of Alonzo C. Marshall, read the simple record of his death, drop a tear for the heart-stricken parents, and then retire reflecting upon the solemn truth, ' It is appointed unto all men once to die, and after death the judgment.' Therefore, ' Be ye also ready : for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man cometh' "A SINGULAR INCIDENT. " P.S. A little over three years after the death and burial AMERICAN SEAMEN. 171 of this Alonzo C. Marshall, an only son, an only child, the hope and pride of his loved and loving parents, I was called to bury, in this same beautiful spot, another only son, an only child, the child of many prayers, greatly beloved by all who knew him for his humble, fervent piety, and followed to the grave by his numerous friends, and his praying, weeping, dis- consolate parents ; and his name, too, was JOHN MARSHALL/' BOOK III. %mtritnn " A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." Gftn. k. 25. " Kemember them that are in bonds." Seb. xiii. 3. "Undo the heavy burdens. Let the oppressed go free. Break every oke." Jsa. Iviii. 6. " Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God." Ps. Ixviii, 31. 175 BOOK III. AMERICAN SLAVERY. " Nothing is more clearly written in the Book of Destiny, than the Eman- cipation of the Blacks ; and it is equally certain that the two races will never live in a state of equal freedom under the same government, so insurmountable are the barriers which nature, habit, and opinion have established between them." JEFFEBSON. AFRICAN SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES. THE four first of the following letters were written and published in many of the leading papers of the Union, some thirteen years ago ; since which time I have found no reason for changing the opinions therein expressed, but every year's experience confirms me in their correctness. On their being published in the Maryland Colonization Journal, the editor makes the following remarks : " We are happy to be able to lay before our readers a series of letters published in the Christian Observer, from the pen of the Rev. E. N. Sawtell. Of the opportunities of Mr. Sawtell to inform himself in regard to the subjects on which he writes, his first letter very properly speaks, and of his ability to improve his opportunity, a careful perusal of the whole of them cannot fail to convince any one. Their object and tendency is to conciliate, to pour oil on the troubled waters, and their general publication throughout the land must effect good/' 176 TREASURED MOMENTS. LETTER I. FACTS RESPECTING SLAVERY AT THE SOUTH. " ' Watchman ! what of the night ?' is the cry of many a throbbing heart respecting the character and developments of slavery, and the prospect of its final extinction ; and while a few are possessing their souls in patience, calmly waiting an answer, believing that God will, in his own good time, send deliverance, others are giving wings to fancy, and indulging in the most extravagant anticipations of evil, and that con- tinually. " Amid these diversified and conflicting opinions, and the never-ceasing commotion of such elements as are brought to bear on this subject, it behoves every friend of humanity to communicate whatever facts may tend to emit or elicit light, or in any way act as oil on the troubled waves ; not more the subject, than does the peculiarity of the times demand this. In an impulsive and spirit-stirring age like this, mind becomes adventurous and impatient of restraint. It seeks to move in excited and ever-accumulating masses, where it can ; yet dares to move individually and alone, where it must. In the wildest tempests of heated passion, it is ready to break away from its once firm and stable moorings, and to dash forth into deep and unexplored seas, in quest of something new ; and though often mistaking a meteor for a fixed star, a rush- light for the noonday sun, it abates nought of self-confidence : there still remains that undying ardour ; that panting for novelty ; that struggle ' to break the bands asunder ' and ' cast away the cords ;' that death grapple with great principles, which so emphatically mark the present age, evincing the whole world of thought to be launched upon a new sea of wonders, where truth, not fiction, facts, not theories, are needed, as beacon-lights and burning suns, to guide this chaos of mind into a haven of enlightened, sanctified, and undisturbed repose. AMERICAN SLAVERY. 177 " On a question of such magnitude as slavei^y involving as it does, the interests of millions, and, it may be, the destiny of two continents, I should not presume to lift a pen, were it not that my opportunities of a personal and intimate acquaint- ance with the subject have been somewhat peculiar. " Being a native of New England, and imbibing as I did at an early age, an utter aversion of the system residing after- wards nearly twenty years in different slave-holding States travelling frequently and extensively in every State in the Union where slavery exists addressing large and popular assemblies of both colours aiding in the promotion of Sabbath schools and Bible classes among the blacks conversing freely with master and slave, respecting the relation they sustain to each other, and the feelings of mutual dependence and attach- ments between them together with seven years' residence abroad, listening to the most exciting debates on the subject in Exeter Hall, London, and elsewhere and now a resident of New York, where every variety of opinion is freely discussed and, though last not least, never having had any pecuniary interests whatever involved in the question, may perhaps entitle my remarks to as much consideration as those of many others, who have never travelled south of Mason and Dixon's line. " The object of this letter is simply to correct some erro- neous impressions, as to the real character of slavery in this country. " The prevailing impression at the North is, that the cruel treatment of the slave, and his consequent sufferings, are such as to demand his immediate and unconditional emancipation. This is one of the most cogent reasons urged why we should take no time to consult the future good and interests, either of the master or the slave. And to deepen the impres- sion, the most frightful pictures of sufferings and cruelty have been drawn, and held up to the imagination till the heart has become sick, and the very name of slave is associated in the mind with all the horrors of the ' middle passage ' and the M 178 TREASURED MOMENTS. racks and tortures of the inquisition. Now, with all due respect to the opinions of others, I do know that such im- pressions are not in accordance with facts.* " On this subject the Southern character is either not understood, or grossly, though I would hope unintentionally, misrepresented. Bold and chivalrous as is a Southern man in contest with his equals, nothing is more despicable in his eyes than a petty tyrant, who exhibits his prowess only in inflicting wrongs and injuries upon the helpless and unprotected. Naturally high-minded, noble and generous in feelings and sentiments, he is found magnanimous and kind in spirit towards his dependents. " As a general fact, I doubt whether there can be found a * AN ENGLISH OPINION. G. P. E. James, the well-known and popular English novelist, who has been a resident of Virginia for several years past, contributes to the Knickerbocker a very interesting article on " Life in Virginia ; " and as the views expressed are so entirely at variance with those of all former British writers on the subject, we give a brief extract on " the Negro Life of Virginia," which, says Mr. James, " differs very little, I believe, from the negro life all through the South. In return for food, clothing, house-room, medical-attendance, and support in old age, about one-third of the labour which is required of the white man in most countries is demanded of the black. He performs it badly, and would not perform it at all if he were not compelled. The rest of his time is spent in singing, dancing, laughing, chattering, and bringing up pigs and chickens. That negroes are the worst servants in the world, every man, I believe, but a thoroughbred Southern man, will admit ; but the Southerner has been reared amongst them from his childhood, and in general has a tenderness and affec- tion for them of which Northern men can have no conception. Great care is taken by the law to guard them against oppression and wrong ; and after six years' residence in the State, I can safely say, I never saw more than one instance of cruelty toward a negro, and that was perpetrated by a foreigner. That there may still be evils in the system which might be removed by law, and that there may be individual instances of oppression and even bad treat- ment, 1 do not deny ; but those instances are not so frequent as those of cruelty to a wife or child in Northern lands, as displayed every day by the newspapers ; and in point of general happiness, it would not be amiss to alter an old adage, and say : ' As merry as a negro slave.' I must not pursue this branch of the subject farther, for I can pretend to no great love for Dr. Livingstone's friends, the Makololos. There are, beyond all doubt, some very excellent people among them ; but, as a race, the more I see of them the less do I think them capable of civilisation, or even fitted to take care of themselves." AMERICAN SLAVERY. 179 class of people in the world that suffer less, mentally or physi- cally, than the coloured population of the South. None, who have fewer cares and troubles ; who wear happier faces ; are more jovial and merry and who sing louder and sweeter than they. For the truth of this I appeal to every man who has visited the South, and examined this subject for himself with an unprejudiced and impartial mind. Exceptions I know there are, but these no more prove the general truth on this subject, than do the convicts in the penitentiaries of New England prove that all the old Puritans of that land of steady habits are grinding in the prison-house. Hence, when a Northern man enters the Southern States for the first time, and witnesses the familiarity and kindness between master and servant, he exclaims with wonder, 'Where are the long whips, the scourges, the groans and tears, of which I have heard so much ?' And often have I seen the tear start in the stranger's eye at beholding the ecstacy of joy with which the dependents gather around their master on his return from a long absence, seizing his hand and seeming to vie with each other in manifesting their love and attachment to him. And while writing the foregoing sentence, I have had to lay aside my pen to listen to a touching incident that illustrates the strength of this attachment, and has drawn tears from my own eyes. " An old coloured matron, the mother of seventeen children, on learning my name, and remembering that I was a warm friend to the coloured people, came to see me, and wished to know, ' if I had not been to her old master's house, more than twenty years ago ?' On reminding me who he was, I answered in the affirmative, and then inquired of his health, and that of her mistress ; she burst into tears, and after struggling with her feelings for some time, she replied, ' My dear old master and mistress are both in heaven, and it is only about three months since my poor mistress died and oh ! I shall never forget the day she was buried; when I returned from the grave, I thought my heart would break. Yes/ said she, 'for M 2 180 TREASURED MOMENTS. more than thirty years we had bowed the knee together in prayer every day, but we shall pray no more together on earth but, thank the Lord,' she exclaimed, 'I shall meet them in heaven.' On inquiring who her present mistress was, ' Oh, I live with my young mistress now, and, dear creature, she is like one of my own children,' added she, ' for I have nursed her from an infant, and, bless God, she is a Christian too. Y - continued she, ' the Lord be praised, I think all my own children are Christians too ; one of my sons is a preacher, and we are all trying to follow the good advice of our dear old master and mistress, that we may meet them in heaven/ In order to test the strength of her attachment to the family, I asked her if she would not like to be free? ' No freer than I am,' said she ; ' it is my mistress's pleasure to please me, and my pleasure to please her I stay with her in the city in the winter, and go out to the plantation, and stay with my children in the summer and hear my son preach, and do as I please and what more can I want in this world ?' When this old Christian mother left me, I asked myself, whether it would be a kindness to tear her away from all her attach- ments and early associations, and run her off to Canada to die in want and penury under the mistaken idea that the enjoy- ment of unrestrained liberty would be an ample compensa- tion for all the food and raiment, the care and affection, she now enjoys, and in which she is so perfectly contented and happy ? And whatever may be the opinions of others, I was satisfied in giving to her Paul's advice, ' Obey your master in the Lord, for that is right ; persevere in well doing ; pray for your children, that God may prepare them for still richer bles- sings, which I believe he has in store for your nation and your people.' " Another erroneous impression at the North is, that the Southern slaves are pushed, and driven, and overworked: but the truth is, that one white labourer at the North performs more labour than any two slaves at the South. And this accounts for the fact, that runaway slaves are never known to AMERICAN SLAVERY. 181 enter the field, and work shoulder to shoulder with the white man ; he knows full well that the amount of labour that satisfied his Southern master will never satisfy the close calcu- lating man of the North. Hence, the shoals of these idlers that swarm about the outskirts of our Northern cities, a few of whom become ostlers, barbers, hack-drivers, and the like, while the majority plunge into the deepest dens of pollution and vice, become vagrants, and live and die a corse to them- selves and society. The purlieus of New York, and of Moyamensing, Philadelphia, furnish ample testimony to this fact. And the plain, incontrovertible truth on this subject is, that the slaves of the South, as a class, are better provided for, enjoy more comforts, are more temperate and virtuous, come more in contact with religious truth, are more susceptible of its influences, and more contented and happy, than the free coloured population in any part of our country. And many are the instances known to me of runaway slaves writing and begging permission of their masters to return home, declaring they had been deceived ; and in some cases, where their seducers have left them to utter destitution and wretchedness, their masters, rather than receive them back, send them money to supply their wants. Now, this by no means proves slavery to be right ; it only proves that immediate, indiscriminate, and unconditional emancipation, without any regard to the future good of the slave, is radically wrong it is an injustice to the slave. But if in sympathising with the suffering slave, our minds can find any relief by contrasts, we challenge a com- parison of his condition in this land of ease and plenty, with that of the ignorant, vicious, famishing millions of the lower class all over the papal world ; in every point of view, whether we regard their temporal comforts, their religious instruction, or the standard of morality among them, our slaves are vastly their superiors. And if we go still farther, and draw a com- parison between the Africans here, though slaves, and their brethren in their native land, in all their cruel barbarism and beastly degradation, we see almost an infinite advance in their 182 TREASURED MOMENTS. character and condition and, to the eye of faith, it is the harbinger of still richer blessings. " In a word, the history of the world does not furnish an instance of a people that have emerged from a state of perfect barbarism into that of comparative civilisation more steadily and rapidly than have the African slaves that have been transported to this country ; and their present condition, whether it relates to the comforts of this life, or to the hopes of that which is to come, is infinitely better, more tolerable, and more desirable, than that of three-fourths of the popula- tion of the globe. But what does all this prove ? that slavery is right? Not at all it only proves that many a tender heart has been made to bleed over miseries that have no existence ; they have been weeping in despair, while they should rejoice in hope. They have been ready to curse God and die, while they should bless him and live, trust him and pray. It proves, that in this wretched world there is misery enough to satisfy the most morbid appetite, without the aid of the imagination, and that the true friend of the slave is he who regards his future good, and by patient perseverance is endeavouring to prepare him for freedom, and prepare him a place to enjoy it. In further confirmation of this, we shall furnish a few facts in our next." LETTER II. THE MORNING COMETH. " In this letter I wish to call the attention of my Northern friends to a few facts, in which, I am sure, they will recognise the finger of God as pointing to some luminous spots upon that dark cloud that lowers upon our horizon. "No man who has been in the habit of visiting the South for the last twenty years, and accustomed himself to note AMERfCAN SLAVERY. 183 the changes, and watch the progress of events, but must have perceived that on no subject has there been wrought a more visible and marked change in public sentiment than on that of slavery. We will briefly glance at a few of them. "1. The time has been, when Southern minds with the exception of such men as Washington and Jefferson were unaccustomed to think of slavery as an evil in any sense, and much less, as a system that must come to an end ; but now they speak of these things as not only probable but certain* " 2. It was once a law of Louisiana, and is still upon her statute books, 'that no black man should presume upon an equality with the whites.' But now you see them together in the same church, counting-room, and stage-coach, shaking hands, and conversing familiarly, and with more ease and kindness than is ever seen at the North, unless on extraordinary occasions, where there is a desire to make a show of great con- descension. It is but a little while since a coloured man, just freed from bondage, preached in the first Presbyterian church of this city, to as large and refined an audience as can be assembled in New York or Boston. Frequently have I met the coloured man here in ecclesiastical bodies, taking part in their deliberations, and seated with his brethren at the same domestic table circumstances which, twenty years ago, would have produced a mob, but now looked upon with approbation. * For many years after we became an independent nation, the discussion of slavery was confined very much to public men in Legislative halls. The masses, too busy in subduing their wild lands, took but little interest in it ; but as the gospel gradually spread over the South, more enlightened Christian views were entertained on the subject of educating and preparing their slaves for freedom, and all laws prohibiting the teaching of slaves to read were a dead letter. Any master could teach his slave who saw fit to do it, without let or hindrance. Everything was progressing propitiously and hopefully up to the time when Northern fanatics attempted to seize the reins and take slavery into their own hands, which placed Southern masters in the attitude of self-defence. The noble work of educating the slave for freedom stopped, and the whole moral power of the nation has since been divided into two hostile conflicting parties. 184 TREASURED MOMENTS. " 3. At one time it was never supposed possible to make anything more of a black man than one of the lowest menials, but it is now no uncommon thing to find him in the shop, employed in the most curious and difficult branches of the mechanic arts, or standing at the desk beside his master, keeping his books and carrying on his correspondence. " 4. There was a time when public sentiment united with the law in prohibiting the education of the slave, but though the letter of the law stands, public sentiment says, ' Let every man do as he pleases' and when either his sense of duty or his interest inclines him to do it, there are few who dare say aught against it. In visiting a family but yesterday, and noticing the intelligence and familiarity of the servants, and their love for reading books and newspapers, the gentle- man remarked, ' You must not think strange of the familiarity of my servants ; having no children of my own, I have made pets of them all, and as they are to inherit my property, I want to educate them, and fit them for enjoying it. I tell them that they don't know but there is a judge or a president among them, or a successor of Governor Roberts, and they must bestir themselves, and prepare for the responsibilities.' And I said, 'Amen' nor did I feel the least disposition to steal them away, or run them off to Canada. " 5. Twenty years ago it was the settled conviction, here at the South, that white labourers could never endure this climate ; hence the plea for slavery. But the thousands and tens of thousands of the Irish and German emigrants that have poured in here from the old world, and which are seen everywhere rolling cotton bales or hogsheads of sugar, driving hacks or drays, or firing their engines, and actually supplanting the blacks in many departments of labour, is settling the question beyond all controversy, that slavery is not only an unnecessary evil, but white free labour being better performed and more profitable, it is a pecuniary evil. " Thus God in his own good time and way, and without any of man's wisdom, is opening the eyes of thousands, and weak- AMERICAN SLAVERY. 185 cning the bands every year that have so long bound together the master and the slave. " 6. Once more. Till lately, it has been thought by the large sugar and cotton growers of the South, that even were it possible for white labour to endure the climate, still the vast number of hands necessary to carry on their heavy opera- tions rendered the slave system absolutely indispensable, and to hire the number of hands they needed, in certain seasons of the year, was quite out of the question. But in a recent conversation on this subject with one of the largest sugar planters in Louisiana, he said to me, ' I can make more money off my plantation, by cutting it up into small farms, erecting little cottages, and renting them to these families of emigrants, they bringing to my sugar-house so much cane annually for the rent, thus relieving me from all the vexations, respon- sibilities, and expenses of providing for a hundred and fifty slaves, that must be fed and clothed, and taken care of when sick, whether the crop fails or not. And the time is not far distant/ added he, ' when these experiments will be made, to the entire satisfaction of every Southern man, thereby ren- dering slavery a pecuniary burden too grievous to be borne and which must be thrown off/ " These are but specimens of the changes going on here in the public mind ; only let them progress silently and steadily a little longer, and let things take their natural course, under the guidance of God's superintending providence, and ere long, the anxious cry will be heard from the South, not, ' How shall we keep ?' but, ' How shall we get rid of our slaves ? Who will take them off our hands ? Where is there a place provided for them ?' And, wonderful as it may seem, while God has been working these changes in the South, he has, at the same time, been working in the hearts of Christians and philanthropists, inciting them to prepare for the slave a home in the land of his fathers, and paving the way of his return to it. How delightful to recognise the hand of God in all this ! 186 TREASURED MOMENTS. " With the eye turned to Liberia, and the heart lifted up to God, we are ready to exclaim, ' There is hope for the slave ! ' ' There is hope for Africa ! ' ' There is hope for our own country !' " But let us advert briefly to a few other facts that mark the signs of the times on this subject. "In no former period since the existence of slavery has there been such attention paid to the religious instruction of the slaves as in the last ten years ; and in no parts of the world have there been gathered richer fruits to encourage the labourer. It is also worthy of especial notice, that while our country generally has been suffering a spiritual dearth, and many mourning the absence of revivals and the declension of piety, the Southern States have been sharing more largely in the gracious influences of God's converting Spirit than any other portion of our country, and emphatically is this true of the coloured population. Now if we connect these facts with the foregoing, and mark their coincidence, the changes here wrought in the public mind ; the various causes that are operating to render slave labour less and less produc- tive, thereby gradually loosing the bonds of the slave ; the instruction that is now being given them ; the outpouring of the Spirit, and converting them to God ; together with the brightening prospects of Liberia ; what other interpretation can be given to all this, but that God, in his own way and in his own time, is raising up and preparing missionaries, school-teachers, and statesmen, for that infant but growing republic, that is beginning to attract the attention and ad- miration of the civilised world ! During my present tour, I have taken especial pains to obtain information respecting the amount and extent of religious instruction among the slaves ; and it is truly surprising and cheering to witness the almost universal feeling and interest on this subject, and the extent to which they have carried out their plans, in estab- lishing schools and churches, and obtaining missionaries and teachers for the sole benefit of the coloured people. Some of AMERICAN SLAVERY. 187 the church edifices that are neat and costly, are owned by the slares themselves, with regularly organised churches, large and orderly congregations, where they enact their own laws, manage their own finances, take up collections for benevolent objects, and would think themselves slighted to be passed by without giving them the privilege of doing their part. One of these very churches raised between fifty and a hundred dollars to send to the poor Irish. Some of their churches are very large, numbering from one to two thousand communicants. It is very common in the country for several planters to unite in the erection of a house of worship for their coloured people ; and, though exclusively for them, the masters and mistresses, feeling a real pride in the elevation and good conduct of their servants, occasionally attend, to manifest their approbation, and encourage them in well-doing ; and feeling themselves rather as intruders, they of course take the lowest seat ; but it is curious to witness the effect of their presence. The natural pride of character is at once on the alert, and manifests itself in the erect posture they assume, adjusting their dresses, breast-pins, and bracelets (for without seeing the face, we should class many of them among the ' upper ten thousand '), and then the rolling of eyes upon each other, as much as to say, ' Let each one do his prettiest/ This is all as perfectly natural as it would be to children who were anxious to please their parents. Then at the closing of the service, when they get into their happiest mood, like the Methodists, they begin to walk around, shaking hands with all, and singing in the most melodious strains ; and with no respect of person, they seize their master's and mistress' hands, shout- ing to the top of their voice, ' We are bound for the kingdom/ till tears flow from every eye, and myself left in momentary doubt whether I was in the kingdom above or below. " If then we turn our eyes to the Sabbath schools, we see the same to encourage the heart and call forth our gratitude to God. I have preached in churches where are schools of from one to two hundred coloured children, all learning to 188 TREASURED MOMENTS. read the Bible, the laws against it notwithstanding. I have seen the delicate Christian female that would grace any parlour in New York, and the owner of a hundred slaves, sitting in the school-room from morning till night, .spending her strength in teaching her young slaves, and endeavouring to prepare them for the enjoyment of freedom ; and this she does month after month, herself the most perfect slave of all ; and she lives among them, not of choice, but because she dare not run away from a duty which she feels that God, in his mysterious providence, has imposed upon her. "Now, is it not hard, that when this Christian lady visits the North for a little relaxation from her duties, and needing the sympathies and prayers of Christians, she should find herself debarred from the communion of saints, and her name cast out as evil, because she had the misfortune to be born south of the Potomac, and cannot see it her duty to cast off these poor, ignorant, and helpless beings upon the cold charities of the world ? " Another lady similarly situated, said to me, ' I am living here, an exile from my home, on account of my slaves, which have been entailed upon me, and which I cannot part with, for they will not consent to be separated from me/ " But it may be said, these are extreme cases : be it so, but they are multiplying every day ; and if we, at the North, will but let them alone, ' and cease to do evil ;' if we will but fall in with the leadings of God's providence, seek to know his will, and mark the significant signs that are pointing to the ulti- mate good and glorious results which God designs to bring out of this evil; and instead of abusing our brethren at the South, and throwing obstacles in their way, seek to encourage and aid them by our prayers and sympathies ; then may this work continue to progress, until every son and daughter of Ham be blessed, not with freedom only, but with that light and liberty wherewith Christ makes his people free." AMERICAN SLAVERY. J89 LETTER III. " Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands to God." " In listening to speeches and remarks at the North on the subject of slavery, one would be led to suppose that all the sympathy ever felt for the slave, and all that has ever been done, or is now doing, to ameliorate his condition, were con- fined to Northern people or non-slaveholding States and that Southern men cannot possibly have any fellow-feeling or sympathy with the slave, or even do anything for his eleva- tion or freedom. Hence the cries and groans of these noisy speech-making men at the North as if the whole burden of this great work rested upon their shoulders, and that if they were to cease to cry aloud, the whole world would go to sleep. " Now, the good people at the North, who really desire to know the truth on this subject, ought not to be kept in ignorance. They ought to know that there is more genuine kindness felt, more enlightened benevolence exercised, more sacrifices made, and more practical ways and means adopted for the education, religious instruction, and final elevation of the slaves by people here at the South, than ever was dreamed of at the North. But here they do not make a world of noise about it. Aiming at no impossibilities taking hold of the evil as they find it, not as they would have it their work is a practical one ; they are ' laying the axe at the root of the tree ;' and though unostentatious and silent in its operations, is sure and progressive, and, like leaven, destined to leaven the whole lump. A single instance will illustrate what I mean, and will exhibit, also, that far-reaching, enlightened philanthropy that is rapidly pervading the South on this subject. " In compliance with previous engagement, and in company with two other gentlemen, I attended divine service, last Sab- 190 TREASURED MOMENTS. bath, at what may be called the 'negro quarters ' of one of the wealthiest gentlemen in Louisiana, who was one among the first settlers of the State. On entering the immense enclosure, surrounded by a high fence, and seeing houses of all sizes and descriptions, it reminded me of an Italian villa, in the midst of which stood the mansion of the old master, but little superior to those of his slaves. The largest and most prominent building, however, was a commodious brick church, erected exclusively for the accommodation of his coloured people. " The old veteran received us with that cordial hospitality so universal in the South ; and no sooner seated, than the con- versation began upon the all-important subject of slavery, its moral and pecuniary curse, the certainty of its final abolition, and the importance of educating the mind, elevating the character, and preparing the slave for that liberty, which he felt sure God designed he should one day enjoy topics which Northern people suppose are never broached here at the South, but .which in fact are discussed more freely, more sensibly, and with far more enlightened Christian views than at the North and for this very good reason, that they here better understand the subject. He had hardly began, how- ever, to give his own views on the subject, before one of his servants entered and announced that it was ' meeting-time/ " ' Gentlemen/ said he, as he arose, ' will you accompany me to church ? ' " Of course, we wished to do nothing else. On entering the church door, there was seated one of the most orderly, well- dressed, and well-behaved congregations that one will find anywhere composed solely of his own coloured people, and one of his own slaves in the pulpit giving out the hymn ; after singing and prayer, he delivered a most sensible and appropriate sermon. At the close of the services, they began singing one of their soul-stirring hymns ; and soon getting into their happiest mood, they began to move about, shaking hands with each other, till finally coming into our corner, where we happened to be seated, they seized first their old master's AMERICAN SLAVERY. 191 hand, then mine, and so on, singing in the most melodious strains ' Oh, who will come and go with us ? We are bound for the promised land.' Tears rolled down the furrowed cheeks of their old master, as they held his hand, and we all wept together. " On returning to the house, and anxious to hear more of his views on the great subject of preparing these immortal beings for liberty in this world, and happiness in the next, he began, ' Why/ said he, 'we must educate them, we owe it to our slaves, and we now have the power to do it ; we must instruct them in the Christian religion, in the mechanic arts, in the principles of free government, or their freedom would prove a curse, instead of a blessing. " ' I speak not,' said he, ' theoretically, but from experience. I have already educated about one hundred of mine, and who have, of their own choice, gone to Liberia ; some of them are merchants, some farmers, and others mechanics. I gave two of them a collegiate education, and the rest I educated myself ; and I have the satisfaction of knowing that they are all doing well, are useful and happy ; one of them is a mis- sionary, and he writes me, that he has nearly two hundred native African children in his school ; teaching them our language, our religion, and our laws ; and/ said he, ' that you may see for yourselves, read these letters ; ' here he handed a number of letters, received from the colony of Liberia, from those that were once his own ignorant slaves; and to say nothing of the eloquence of diction and penmanship, they were so filled with expressions of joy and rejoicing, of love and gratitude to their master, as to make it utterly impossible to read them without weeping ; addressing him with such endear- ing appellations as ' dear father, ' ' dear parent, ' ' dear benefactor/ and declaring at the close, that they had but one single wish for ever visiting the United States again, and that was, ' that they might see, once more, their dear old father before he died/ ' Now/ said this old gentleman, ' this is 192 TREASURED MOMENTS my idea of our duty and obligations to the slaves, and of God's purposes in sending them here, and what I have done for those in Liberia I am going to do for all.' " On asking him how he managed to teach so many him- self ? he replied, ' I have them divided into four classes : at day-light, on Sabbath morning, I call the first class, and drill them in reading and spelling till breakfast. After breakfast, the second class is called, and they go through the Shorter Catechism and the Ten Commandments ; then comes the hour for public worship, when one of the servants, who is a minister, becomes the teacher and I the learner. After public service the other two classes, more advanced, are carried through their respective lessons in the same way as those in the morning. This is the way/ said he, ' I spend all my Sabbaths ; nor do I suffer any intrusion from my neighbours, unless it be one who is desirous of learning the art of doing good, and of train- ing up his slaves for the high purposes and destiny for which God designs them.' "And I could not but reflect myself, how much more evidently was this man in the path of his duty than those who think their Sabbaths well spent in denouncing slave- holders as man-stealers, and anathematising every one who will not consent to turn his slaves loose into the woods, all at once, and ^ith none to care for their souls or bodies. " But another peculiarity in this man's system of training his slaves for freemen is, that he allows of no arbitrary control or punishment. In fact, his slaves are organised into a perfect republic, possessing all the elements of a free legislative government. Their trials for any misdemeanor or crime are by jury ; witnesses examined, and especial pleadings with all the solemnities of a court. In important and difficult cases, the old master is sometimes called in to preside as judge, and decide upon some difficult points of law ; but the verdict, the sentence, and its execution are all in their own hands. " Thus it is in this way they are learning important and practical lessons in the principles of civil polity and jurispru- AMERICAN SLAVERY. 193 dence. And if we ask this benevolent man for his motive in all this, his answer is worthy of being recorded in golden capitals. ' Why/ said he, ' intelligence, virtue, and religion constitute the only sure basis of a republic. I believe Africa is to be a republic, and receive our language, laws, and institu- tions ; and I believe the cupidity of England in first introducing slaves upon this continent is to be overruled for the further- ance of this cause ; and so many of these instruments as God in his providence has placed in my hands, I want to prepare and get them ready to meet their high responsibilities when the time for action shall come.' I responded a long and loud AMEN, sincerely believing that this man is in the path of his duty.* " But should it be thought that this man must be made an exception, as a simple-hearted, weak-minded, religious fanatic, whose example goes for nothing, let me say, it is a great mistake. He is one of the shrewdest of men ; far-seeing in his plans. Nor is he a member of any church ; but he believes in the Bible, and that education is just as necessary for the blacks as for the whites, to constitute them good and happy citizens of a free government. " But another interesting fact in this man's history is, that he was one of the first commission merchants of New Orleans, to whom were consigned ships containing cargoes of slaves for sale ; and for many years was engaged in this unrighteous traffic, like Newton, without ever thinking of its being a sin. Now, mark the changes in the life of one and the same man. He, who in his youth was engaged in importing and filling the land with the most ignorant and degraded barbarians, is now * These forty-two negroes spoken of in this article, clipped from the New York paper, are a part of the same spoken of in this letter, written thirteen years ago : " The New York Picayune of April 28th, 1859, says : The ship Rebecca, Captain William Carter, left Government Wharf yesterday, direct for Liberia, cleared by Messrs. Prats, Pujol, &Co., and having on board forty-two negroes, belonging to the McDonogh estate. They go provided with money, clothes, household implements, and agricultural instruments of every descrip- tion. A physician on board will look to their health during the voyage, and when they land the Liberia Emigration Society will take charge of them during six months, and help them to establish themselves." N 194 TREASURED MOMENTS. engaged in educating them, teaching them the principles of our holy religion, and sending them back, civilised and Chris- tianised, to bless and save the land of their fathers. If such be the changes in the life of one man, what may not this century do, in converting the curse and shame of this country into the richest blessing for Africa ? I confess in this view of the sub- ject there is in my own mind a sublimity and glory sur- rounding this subject, surpassing that of any and all others that the church or the world has ever conceived/' LETTER IV. " For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." " IN the foregoing letters I have adverted to a few of the many facts that have fallen under my own observation, which I have thought calculated to give encouragement and hope to intelligent Christians and philanthropists, who are capable of taking enlarged and comprehensive views of this exciting sub- ject, and who are labouring with a sincere desire to accomplish the highest good of the slave, in his intellectual and moral elevation, as preparatory to his final redemption and, ulti- mately, the salvation of his race ; and, though the subject and the facts are alike exhaustless, I shall conclude what I have to say for the present, by reverting to a few general facts con- nected with the providences of God, and seeming to have a direct bearing on this subject. " And now, if we will but break away from our own little- ness, and view the grand scale upon which God accomplishes his plans and purposes in reforming and elevating the nations of the earth, may not the Christian find, even amid the dark- ness and forebodings that have so long enveloped this subject, something to cheer his spirits and animate his hopes ? How AMERICAN SLAVERY. 195 wonderful and comprehensive are God's purposes, as now being developed on this very subject ! To our shores is the tide of emigration setting in from the papal world with a strength and power unparalleled ; augmented every year by famine and pestilence and other causes, on the other side of the water : thus pouring in upon us millions of vassals from the old world, to obtain a knowledge of our language, our laws, of true liberty, and a pure Christianity'; and, at the same time, supplanting our own slaves, rendering their services less and less valuable every year, thereby weakening and cutting the cords that have so long bound them to their masters, thus creating another tide that is setting back towards Africa ; carrying out to that dark land, filled with the habitations of cruelty, those who came here slaves, but now redeemed, enlightened Christian freemen ; going back to pro- claim in our language, light and liberty to all Africa ; hereby giving a prominency and importance to our country, our lan- guage, and laws, and institutions, that no other country in the world possesses. " It is in fact elevating this great republic into a kind of umpire between two continents of slaves, to decide upon their destiny ; making it the very centre of power and influence, to instruct, elevate, and Christianise the population of half the globe the slaves of papal Europe, and the slaves of pagan Africa. What fearful responsibilities rest upon our country and the church ! responsibilities, too, which God has seen fit to impose upon us, and of which we cannot rid our- selves, if we would ! What wisdom and virtue will be needed in the councils of the nation ! What holiness, faith, and prayer in the church, if we would be prepared to meet them ! Three millions of instruments placed in our hands, to sharpen, polish, and prepare for the subjugation of a continent to the Prince of Peace ! how overwhelming the thought ! ' Who is sufficient for these things ?' Nor let us suppose that this is the work of a day or a year. In working out his stupendous problems for the 'redemption of men arid nations, God takes N 2 ]96 TREASURED MOMENTS. his own time ; nor must we become impatient and restive, though his chariot wheels may seem to move slow. ' A thousand years with the Lord is as one day/ Had we been permitted, at the dawn of creation, to look out upon that wild, unsightly chaos, 'without form and void,' we might have become impatient for God to relieve our nice sensibilities, by doing up his work in a single day ; but he took six, and the morning stars sang just as sweetly as though he had finished it in the twinkling of an eye. " For four thousand years God was preparing his people by severe discipline, and the world by heavy judgments, for the coming of the Redeemer ; and nearly two thousand more have passed away before Africa is seen stretching out her hands to God. Had this work been committed to us, with powers to accomplish it, but no additional wisdom, we no doubt would have hurried it through in a much shorter time ; but the probability is, that it would not have been perfect before God : a screw would have fallen out somewhere, and he whole thing have to be done over again. "Like the impetuous young man, on entering the work of the holy ministry. With ardent spirit and buoyant hopes, he has no idea of waiting the slow movements of his elder brethren, in converting this world to God ; they are behind the age they are wanting in faith, zeal, and courage ; he is going to do up the thing in his own way, and in his own lifetime ; he has no thought of leaving anything else for the next genera- tion to do, but to chant the triumphs of his victorious arm. But by the time he has left Jericho, and fought a few battles with the beasts of Ephesus, and contended with principalities and powers, and wickedness in high places, and where he had looked for an unconditional surrender at the flourishing of his infant blade, he has had the mortification to receive from the enemy ' forty stripes save one.' Then, indeed, does he begin to find that sin is something more than an error of judgment, and something more powerful than moral suasion is necessary to convert a soul to God. And when convinced of his own AMERICAN SLAVERY. 197 irnpotency, he comes finally to the same conclusion that Paul did, ' Of myself I can do nothing/ and thinks it wiser and better to fall in with the leadings of Divine Providence, and become a co-worker with Christ, than attempt to wrest the reins from his hand ; that it is wiser and better to remain in the ship and obey orders, and pull at the ropes, than attempt to seize the helm and rule the storm. " Thus it is, when God is working these great changes and revolutions among men and nations, carrying out his glorious and eternal purposes of mercy, as now being developed to- wards the African race ; there are no short cuts, or patent rights, by which to hasten the work, or to turn it out of its legitimate channel. All the Christian graces are to be brought into requisition and constant exercise ; faith, hope, charity, prayer and supplication, patient discussion and laborious efforts, are all, all needed for the conflict. Yes, this very subject of slavery has got to be discussed ; but the weapons of this warfare must be changed, and the discussion conducted in that spirit of love and Christian forbearance, that our Southern brethren can take a part in it, and be made to feel that we are all one. " The eyes of the North, and the South too, have undoubtedly to be opened by argumentation, to behold many points and facts connected with this subject which they now see only 'as through a glass darkly.' England and the North have yet to feel that they are not guiltless in the sin of slavery, and that it ill becomes them, after employing their ships and their capital in filling the whole Southern country with slaves, just to pocket the money, wash the blood from the decks of their ships, turn round and anathematise every Southern man for the awful sin of slavery ; as if a man who tied a millstone around his fellow's neck, and pushed him into the sea, had an undoubted right to curse him, because he could not swim as buoyant as himself ; or the man who would besmear his guest with filth, and then shut the door in his face, as being quite unworthy a seat at his table. No, let this subject be J98 TREASURED MOMENTS. discussed till the world shall understand on whom the sin of slavery rests ; and then ' let him who is without sin cast the first stone.' Let it be discussed, too, till the whole South are made to see, as some of them begin to see, that by educating and Christianising their slaves, they can turn this seeming curse into a blessing to the slave and to Africa, and cause it to redound to the honour and glory of all the South. Yes, they have here in the South the grand lever for raising Africa ; let the foot of it be placed at Liberia ; let Christians, and patriots, and philanthropists throw their weight upon this end of it, making the Bible the fulcrum, and ere long Africa, with her sable millions, will be seen emerging from the long night of cruel tyranny and barbarism into the pure sunlight of Christian civilisation ; annexing herself by indissoluble bonds of grate- ful affection to this, her sister, patron-republic ; and with her churches and schools, her colleges and legislative halls, her poets and her orators, take a proud and enviable position among the enlightened and civilised nations of the earth. The Lord hasten it in his time, and to him be the glory." 199 THREE LETTERS, ADDRESSED TO AN ABOLITIONIST OF THE GARRISON SCHOOL. LETTER I. DEAR SIR, You will undoubtedly remember, that at the close of our discussion, last evening, on the subject of .slavery, you left my room abruptly, giving utterance to the following very significant language : " Well, if we are not doing right, pray tell us what we ought to do," which language I consider tantamount to an admission that it is possible for abolitionists to err. How to reconcile this with Solomon's declaration, " that there is nothing new under the sun," I leave to abler divines ; but to my own mind such an admission is like knocking out the key-stone of an arch. Let abolitionists once admit that they are fallible, possessing all the weakness and infirmities of other men, and it will no longer be considered primd facie evidence that the man who dares to differ from them is either a knave or a fool. In the outburst of this new joy, therefore, at such an admission, I will briefly suggest a few things, which, in my humble opinion, you, as abolitionists, "ought to do": 1. Cease to do evil. It is often as much our duty to stand still as it is to go forward. There is a time for all things a time for man to work, and a time for God to work ; and it was as much the duty of Moses " to stand still, and see the 200 TREASURED MOMENTS. salvation of the Lord," as it was to go forward when the Lord had opened the way. Cease therefore to do evil, by working in the dark, and running before you are sent. 2. Cease from nurturing and fostering a censorious, vindictive spirit toward men who differ from you, remember- ing that "the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God/' " Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." Cease therefore from anger, and forsake wrath. Fret not thyself in anywise to do evil. 3. Cease from those narrow, contracted views on the subject of poor suffering humanity, which cramp and confine your sympathies to a single class of the human family, and give a wider range to your benevolence. Do not forget " that God made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." Therefore, in the exuberance of your love for your coloured brother, remember that the white man and the red man are your brothers also. Bo not love the black man simply because he is black, nor the white man because he is white ; neither love the black man because he is a slave, nor hate the white man because he is a master ; but love them all, and do good to all, because they are all your brethren, created in the image of God, and bearing the same stamp of immortality; bound to the same eternity, under the same condemnation, and, if ever saved, must be saved through the same sovereign mercy of God abounding through Jesus Christ, our common Saviour. Therefore, seeing that there is but one way to be saved ; one and the same door into the fold, through which master and slave can enter ; one and the same exercise of faith in Christ, as terms of admission, why not exercise the same interest, pity, and compassion for the one as for the other, and let your heart flow out in the same generous acts toward all ? 4. Cease to quarrel with the providences of God, and learn to " rejoice in the Lord always/' This is a Divine command, and when heartily and cheerfully obeyed, it is like removing mountains from a depressed spirit, and casting them into the AMERICAN SLAVERY. 201 depths of the sea. Reflect, too, upon the countless blessings you have to rejoice over. Suppose, for a moment, that God were to surrender the government of this world into the hands of such a man as Loyd Garrison, or even Dr. Cheever, render- ing it absolutely certain " that peace on earth and good will toward men" would take their everlasting flight from the abodes of men, and that nothing would remain on earth but tyranny and oppression, violence and wrath, bitter curses and denunciations, and an endless struggle for power ; then, indeed, there would be some excuse for flying into a passion : you could be " angry, and sin not, " and possess an undoubted right to cultivate a most pugnacious spirit, and become an Ishmaelite at once raising your hand against every man, knowing that every man's hand would be raised against you. Then, too, there would be some reason for keeping up a perpetual scolding, worrying, and fretting about every man and every thing, because you would be only following in the footsteps of your illustrious sovereign. And should any of us poor fellows be ever so much disposed for peace and quiet, our pent-up feelings could find vent only in the plaintive strains of the prophet, " We roar like bears, and mourn sore like doves." Now, what a source of joy and everlasting rejoicing it is, that instead of a poor, fallible, weak-minded, fallen man, " the Lord God omnipotent reigneth," and that he can bring light out of darkness, order out of confusion, peace out of war, liberty out of oppression, and make the wrath of man to praise him, and the remainder of wrath he can and will restrain ; rejoice then, and be exceeding glad. 5. Cease from vexing thy righteous soul, because God does not choose to govern, the world exactly according to the plan you have prescribed for him ; and console yourself with the thought that God did make out to govern this world after a fashion, nearly six thousand years, without your aid furnishing a strong probability that he will be able to keep things moving after the term of your service has expired. 202 TREASURED MOMENTS. Such reflections cannot but afford comfort and consolation to an anxious mind. 6. Cease from a proud, haughty, ambitious spirit, and walk humbly with thy God. When Luther, the great reformer of the sixteenth century, was asked, " What was the first step in religion?" He replied, "HUMILITY!" and what the second? " HUMILITY ! " and the third ? " HUMILITY ! " And Peter also admonishes Christians " to be clothed with humility." 7. Cease from bitter denunciations against those whom you think to be in an error ; and as Paul, after his conversion, was a great and successful reformer, study carefully his life, doctrines, and counsels, such as the following : " Put on bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long- suffering ; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another : even as Christ forgave you. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." Again he says, " Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Now, I am well aware that such authorities as Peter and Paul are at a great discount with many of our modern reformers ; but, as I am so much in the habit of quoting them, I trust I may be excused. 8. Cease from the assumption that African slavery is the only or the worst form of bondage known to the world. To be in bondage to sin and Satan ; to be slaves to lust the lust of power, of riches, revenge, and notoriety ; to be under the lash of vile and ungovernable passions anger, wrath, malice, or, as Paul so graphically describes it, "filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, mali- ciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, back-biters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful :" this, this is the most AMERICAN SLAVERY. 203 terrific form of despotism known to mortals or immortals. And here is a picture of slavery, sketched by an inspired apostle, such as has never been found in any "log cabin " north or south built or written, real or fictitious. And, my dear sir, when I have occasionally looked in upon one of those frightful scenes called an "abolition meeting," in Boston and New York, and have seen and heard you and scores of others, men and women, promiscuously mingled together on the platform, yell and scream, and shriek and rave, and bawl and foam, and curse and swear against Wash- ington, and against all the great and good men of the country, dead or alive, who failed to have pronounced the " shibbo- leth" of your party and all under the scorpion lash of these cruel masters I have wondered whether, with your knowledge of the Scriptures, it ever occurred to you that Paul had his prophetic eye upon those very scenes when he drew this frightful picture ! And in turning away from these demoniacal ravings, and walking with slow and muffled steps to my hotel, I have contrasted them with the hallowed scenes I have witnessed in the sunny South, and with the sweet strains of vocal music wafted to my ravished ears from two and three thousand Christian slaves their countenances lighted up, and their eyes moistened with tears of gratitude, and beaming with a joy that no earthly freedom could give or take away ; shaking hands with each other, and with their masters and mistresses, as their hearts flowed out in the following language of Christian conflict : " Am I a soldier of tli e Cross, A follower of the Lamb, And shall I fear to own his cause, Or blush to speak his name ? Must I be carried to the skies On flowery beds of ease, "While others fought to win the prize, And sailed through bloody seas ?" Ah : when I have listened to this, I have said to myself, " Here is a liberty worth fighting for ; a liberty worth singing 20i TREASURED MOMENTS. and shouting over ; a liberty which no human government, no human power, can take away." And as I have contrasted these two assemblies, and these two kinds of slavery the slavery of the soul to sin and Satan, and that of the body to man I have asked myself, Which is the greatest curse, and the most to be deprecated ? Without stopping to decide the question, I will make a suggestion that has just struck my own mind, and which I think would tend to place this subject in its true light before the public: Let there be an interchange of these exhibitions between the North and the South. My dear sir, what do you think of such a pro- position ? Could such an arrangement be made ? For ex- ample, let the Garrisons, Parkers, Phillipses, Pilsburies, and Fosters, with all the Abbies and Fannies, and Mademoiselle Mott, with all the little Motlies, with hosts of sponsors, take a tour South ; let the Southern States enact laws securing them against harm, affording them ample accommodations, with full powers to gender and let off steam ad libitum, and with permission to heat their furnaces, as did their illustrious pre- decessor, seven times hotter than they were wont to be heated. Then let all masters attend these exhibitions, not fearing or failing to take their servants with them ; affording all an opportunity to behold a spectacle that might make angels wee p a herd of human bodies, congregated together, hateful and hating one another, and despising all the world besides, with no restraints upon the licentiousness of the tongue, and with unlimited powers to speak and to act, while their precious, undying souls, which God breathed into these bodies, lie manacled, as so many raving maniacs, surging and writhing under the lash of the most inexorable of all tyrants PASSION, MALICE, and REVENGE converting the whole scene into the horrors of a pandemonium. Then, in turn, let a congregation of these Southern Christians, whose bodies may be in bonds, as were many of the apostles' converts before them, but whose souls have been liberated by the spirit and power of God, take a tour North. Of course AMERICAN SLAVERY. 205 they would demand security against being kidnapped ; and let them hold meetings through all the Northern States ; let their preachers and exhorters enjoy equal privileges of firing up, as often as the spirit moved them, to tell the people " what a dear Saviour they have found/' and what he had done for their souls ; what liberty they enjoy in prayer, praise, and communion with God ; and how far this spiritual liberty in Christ excelled all earthly blessing. And then let them break forth into one of their sweetest strains, and sing, as none but Africans can sing, in one united chorus " None but Jesus none but Jesus Can do helpless sinners good." Then let the multitudes decide which of these two kinds of slavery are the greater curse to the world, THE SLAVERY OF THE SOUL TO SlN AND SATAN OR THE SLAVERY OF THE BODY TO MAN. This idea suggests one other thought : whether it may not be a charitable act, if not an imperative duty, for these Southern Christians to form themselves into Abolition Societies for the liberation of Northern Slaves. Our coloured brethren at the South are noted for their liberality, and often take up collections in their churches for benevolent objects, especially for the relief of the oppressed. It is a matter of history that they took a lively interest in the Greek struggle, and contributed largely towards sending them relief* I * 1. There is a coloured congregation in Mobile, of the Methodist denomina- tion, that pay their pastor an annual salary of 1,200 dollars, besides giving liberally to charitable purposes, as was shown by a collection taken recently for Domestic Missions, which amounted to 120 dollars. A parting gift of as handsome a suit of clothes as could be purchased was presented to their last pastor, when sent by Conference to another field of labour. There are several other churches of the same stamp, but this is rather the largest. It is called the " coloured charge," and is located in State Street, Mobile. 2. There is a coloured congregation in Georgia, whose pastor was himself a slave ; but the church being large, and needing the entire services of their faithful shepherd, and being able and willing to support him, they started the proposition of purchasing him. Making their wishes known to their masters, 206 TREASURED MOMENTS. would, therefore, seriously and candidly suggest this subject as worthy of their earnest and prayerful consideration. And when they shall have reflected how much more intolerable and terrific is the slavery of the soul over that of the body, and how infinitely better off are they at the South, who, by the grace of God, have been brought from under the bondage of sin into the glorious " light and liberty of the sons of God," I am sure they will sympathise deeply with their Northern white brethren who are still in bonds, and be ready to adopt any measures, and contribute any amount of means, that shall afford the least prospect or hope of working a speedy deliver- ance of the souls of Northern slaves from the power of sin and Satan, and bringing them into " that liberty wherewith Christ makes his people free." Reflect seriously, my dear sir, upon these suggestions, and in your next give me your views as to the possibility of carry- ing them into execution. LETTER II. MY DEAR SIR, If you have carefully read and " inwardly digested "the few hints thrown out in a former letter, your mind may be prepared to receive kindly further suggestions in answer to your appeal, " Pray tell us what we ought to do ! " Surely every good man has something to do, to make this world better; and your language implies a willingness on your part to do something, if you can only find out what it is a discovery which some men never make ; even Paul " verily thought he ought to do many things," which, after his conver- sion, he found were not only wicked, but subversive of the very and obtaining their consent, the money was raised, and this church of slaves DOW own their pastor. The fact is as significant of the real condition of Southern slaves as that of any fictitious character like that of Logree. AMERICAN SLAVERY. 207 kingdom that he blindly imagined he was trying to build up. In our endeavours to ascertain the proper sphere and field of our labours, and the special duties we owe to God and the world, there are a few maxims or self-evident truths wo should ever bear in mind. For example : God has not endowed us with the attributes of omnipotence, omniscience, or omni- presence ; hence it is very clear that our duties, whatever they may be, must lie within the limits and scope of finite beings, and never beyond our reach. And were it ever so clearly revealed to you, that there was a great work for you to perform in a foreign field, then, either that field must come to you, or you must go to it, or the work will never be accomplished. And, as you may rest assured it will never come to you, so you may be equally assured that if there be no open door through which you can pass to it, that revelation was not from God, and your commission will prove in the end to have been a forged or spurious one. Paul recognised this principle when he received his com- mission to preach the gospel to the Gentiles ; and he had faith and self-denial enough to act upon it. He saw " a great and effectual door" open before him ; and saw too that " bonds and afflictions awaited him in every city/' Yet he would have scorned the idea of shrinking from his work, or of attempting to fulfil his high commission by barri- cading himself in Jerusalem, and trying to conciliate the Jews by gathering them together every Sabbath in the synagogue, and there haranguing them upon the terrible wickedness of the Gentiles denouncing them as idolaters, slaveholders, man-stealers, and the like. No doubt it would have tickled tho Jews vastly, and more than ever would they have felt elated at their own superiority. And could Paul have been mean enough to have settled down in their own city as a pastor, w T ith a good fat salary, pretending at the same time to be playing the missionary to the Gentiles, by abusing them, they would have been almost willing to forgive him for becoming a Christian. But, no ; Paul had not so learned 208 TREASURED MOMENTS. Christ : he did not so interpret his commission ; and, as he knew the Gentiles would not come to him, he would go to them ; though " his bodily presence was weak," and his speech con- temptible, he would show himself among them, preach to them, not about them ; at them, not against them ; and speak the truth in love, not in bitterness and wrath. Yes ; he would grapple with their idolatry and wickedness hand to hand, and if need be, fight with the beasts of Ephesus ; and, though " stoned," whipped, and beaten with rods, and in prisons more frequent, and deaths oft, " none of these things moved him, neither counted he his life dear, if so be he could testify to the Gentiles the gospel of tlie grace of God/' He well understood the power and influence of personal contact and intercourse, and that, to do a people good, he must show himself among them talk with them pray with them sympathise and weep with them. Paul was a model missionary, and the best missionaries of our day have followed his example. Had Martyn, Brainerd, Judson, Stoddard, and a host of others, who have finished their course and won the crown, manifested their concern for the heathen by first securing the pastorate of a wealthy church, getting their nests comfortably feathered, and then spent their whole time and strength in exposing the dreadful condition of the poor Nestorians, the shameless vices and abominations of India and the Indians, and then pouring out their abuse and the vials of their wrath against all such workers of iniquity, would not some 'cute minds among their auditors have been very likely just to have intimated to them, " That if they felt so very bad about the poor heathen, they had better obtain a dismission, and be off among them, that they might have a pastor who would preach to them the gospel " ? But no, these holy men did no such thing. The moment they began to feel those yearnings of soul for the salvation of the heathen, that moment they began to sever the ties that bound them to their kindred and their " sweet homes ;" and, like another Paul, were willing "to suffer the loss of all things" for the glorious AMERICAN SLAVERY. 209 privilege of preaching the blessed gospel to those " ready to perish." Some men, wearing the livery of God's ambassadors, as soon as they are intrenched in some secure place where they will not have to take joyfully the " spoiling of their goods/' take infinite delight in preaching what they call the gospel against every creature, and to quarrel with every creature who does not come up to their standard. And had God promised to bless such preaching, this wilderness-world would, no doubt, long ere this, have "blossomed as the rose/'* But, unfortunately for men who love their ease, our com- mission reads, " Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." What a pity that that little monosyllable, to, should be permitted to interfere so much with a selfish man's ease and comfort ! But " the disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord." That Holy One, whom all heaven adores, could have remained upon his great white throne, and issued his com- mands, and uttered his denunciations against this rebel world ; but this was not his plan of mercy. He came to our relief, assumed our nature, took our guilt, bore our grief, carried our sorrows, and purchased us with his own precious blood ; and if he, " who thought it not robbery to be equal with God," could thus humble himself, and make himself of no reputation, what manner of persons ought we to be ! And * The following aphorism, which is ascribed to Bishop Home, in the biography of that excellent prelate, is not inapplicable to such men : " Many persons spend so much time in criticising and disputing about the gospel, that they have none left for practising it. As if two sick men should quarrel about the phraseology of their physician's prescription, and forget to take the medicine." The application is good, but the sentiment had been previously expressed more forcibly by Bishop Butler : " The inanities of religious people would never rise to such a height were it not for their mistake, that God is better, served with their opinions than their practices ; opinions beirg very inconsiderable further than they have influence upon actions." O 210 TREASURED MOMENTS. who are we, that we should withstand God, or attempt to reform and save the world by standing afar off, uttering our anathemas against sin and sinners ? And, my dear sir, per- mit me to disabuse your own mind, and the minds of all who work with you, in keeping up such a perpetual howling and clamour, as if you expected the whole world to applaud you for your extraordinary courage and heroic deeds. Be not deceived, neither be too much elated, when you hear the boys in the streets cry, " Bravo I" A few ignorant people at a dis- tance may imagine that where there is so much smoke, there must be some fire ; where dogs are perpetually barking up one tree, there must be game ; so, by parity of reason, where there is so much loud declamation, and such an exhibition of anger and wrath, and bitter cursings and denunciations, there must be danger, consequently, there must be courage to meet it. Not one bit of it ; and every intelligent man knows that, in all this hue-and-cry at the North about slavery, there is not one particle of true courage in it. And you, ministers and pastors, who choose to desecrate your pulpits on the Sabbath, by pouring out upon the South the vials of your wrath, know full well that you are as safe as was Napoleon the Great, sur- rounded by his marshals. Not a hair of your head will be touched. You may groan, and scream, and yell, and cry aloud, like the prophets of Baal, from morning even until noon ; and while there might be a few Elijahs, who inwardly would mock you, your persons would be as secure as so many asses bray- ing upon the summit of the Andes. No, there is neither natural nor moral courage in it. There is notoriety, and, as one shrewdly remarked, " that is better than nothing/' I do not deny but that you may possess the courage of a Csesar, but I do say, there is no evidence of it, nor can it ever manifest itself, in keeping up this perpetual tempest on a subject that can do the slaves no good, and, so far as your own personal safety is concerned, is the most harmless and innocent of all amusements. No, no ; when I see you, as abolitionists, or hear of you, groaning inwardly, with groanings that cannot be AMERICAN SLAVERY. 211 uttered, and mourning and weeping over your inbred lusts and innate corruptions, feeling and acknowledging that you are sinners before God, in common with other men, and in the deep contrition of your souls cry out with Paul, " O wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? " and when I shall behold you abandoning your posts, and your present tactics, throwing away your carnal weapons, and girding yourselves with gospel armour, no longer desirous of vain-glory, but filled with the fruit of the Spirit, " love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance," and, with tearful eyes and melting hearts, begin to pack your trunks for the South, willing to forsake houses and lands, large salaries, large con- gregations, cushioned pulpits, and cushioned pews, all for the glorious privilege of proclaiming the gospel in the South to masters and to slaves, and, like another Felix Neff, live in their log cabins, and gather these poor outcasts, around the family altar, morning and evening, read to them, pray with them, and with streaming eyes tell them the story of the cross, while those of you who remain at home shall turn your attention to the crying sins at your own doors, uttering no more denunciations against your brethren at the South, remembering them only in your prayers, then, and not till then, will the world believe that you are the sincere and real friends of the slave, and possess true courage in meeting their wants. Ah, when these things shall begin to come to pass, then "look up," and lift up your heads, for the redemption of poor down- trodden Africa, and of her sable sons throughout the world, draweth nigh. Then shall we hear the voice of the Lord proclaiming, " Fear not, I am with thee ; I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west ; I will say to the north, Give up ; and to the south, Keep not back : bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth." Then, " when Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands unto God, the kingdoms of the earth shall sing praises unto the Lord." O 2 212 TREASURED MOMENTS. LETTER III. MY DEAR SIR, You profess to have been so much instructed in the perusal of my two former letters, that you now desire more specific instructions, applicable to your own case, as a young pastor, settled as you are among a people of the most ultra views on all subjects of modern reform ; or, if I may judge from your language, you are astride of what may be called " YOUNG AMERICA, BOILED DOWN." You also ask, if I cannot give you a sketch of my own history, or personal experience, when settled as a pastor in a Slave State. As to the latter of these requests, I cannot suppose that my own experience differs essentially from hundreds of other pastors, who would do good as they have oppor- tunity. My opportunities for doing good, and that, too, in my own proper sphere and parish, have always been abundant, far exceeding my ability to improve. So much so, that I never found time to travel into another man's field to pick a quarrel with him, even if I had had the disposition. My own part of the vineyard always appeared, in my own eye, so badly cultivated, that I had no heart to find fault with my neighbour's ; and I have been too short-sighted, and carried too many beams in my own eyes, to see clearly how to pull out the mote that is in my brother's eye, especially if he happened to be a thousand miles off. Moreover, my Bible confirms what my experience has long taught me, that to act efficiently against any gigantic evil, we must throw ourselves into the midst of it, and that it is folly for a man to spend his time, and waste his strength, in keeping up a perpetual growl- ing; grumbling, and scolding about evils over which he can exercise no control, keeping himself at so safe and respectful a distance, that all his mighty thunder becomes powerless for good. For myself, I have never been so fortunate as to settle AMERICAN SLAVERY. 213 in any city, or among any people, that I did not find an abundance to do right around me. I could read of evils at a distance, mourn over them, and pray the Lord to rear up a standard against them ; but to attempt to be that standard myself, and still cultivate my own field, I never laid claim to such divine attributes. Hence, when pastor of a church in a Slave State, the great evil of slavery moved my heart, my tongue, and my pen ; it was right before my eyes : I felt that I had a right to speak, that I knew how to speak ; and I did speak, and write too. I, then and there, united with an Anti-Slavery Society not of the modern type to denounce masters, and set them and their slaves by the ears nor to circulate incendiary papers and tracts to excite the slaves to an insurrection but to stir up the pure minds of Christians on the subject of their duty in preparing their slaves for freedom, and to awaken the con- sciences of all to a sense of their obligations and their respon- sibilities to God, in elevating and Christianising those souls, which, in the providence of God, had been committed to their trust, and to hold up, to both master and slave, the " golden rule," and to make known God's requirements in so educating and raising the slave from his degradation, that his prospective freedom should prove a blessing. For at that time, the blighting curse of northern fanaticism had not produced its legitimate fruit ; the southern mind was open to reason, so that any scriptural, well-devised scheme for the elevation of the blacks, proposed by ministers of the gospel settled among them, might be sure of a favourable response. All the intelligent people at the South, at that time, were looking forward to a period when slavery would be among the things that were ; no one ever thought of advocating slavery as an institution to be perpetuated. This, together with the quasi revival of the slave trade, and much bad legislation, with ten thousand other evils, are but the rebound of that abolition frenzy at the North ; undertaking to do a work, and remove from the country an evil, that does not come within the^ limits 214 TKEASURED MOMENTS. either of their knowledge or their power an evil that never will, and never can, be removed but by the spirit and power of the gospel a spirit and power which those modern refor- mers repudiate. It is an evil belonging solely to southern Christians, which they alone can understand, and which they had begun in earnest to remedy, and would have accomplished, through God, a great work ere this, if they could have been let alone by those meddlers in other men's matters, who find it so much easier to contend with evils a thousand miles off, than to grapple with them at their own door. When settled as a pastor in the South, I did not shun to declare the whole truth to all classes, and to establish schools for the slaves, not for oral instruction simply, but to teach them to read the Scriptures. In my own church, I had a school of over two hundred slaves, including adults and child- ren, all learning to read, and many of them had become fine readers. One old man, of fifty years, walked every Saturday night fourteen miles, that he might be early at the school on Sabbath morning, that he might learn to read the Scriptures ; and, in addition to my three other services, I made it a point to address this school, and sow the seed of the kingdom upon what I considered the most precious and promising soil of any part of the field which I was endeavouring to cultivate ; thus laying, as I believed, and still believe, the axe at the root of this gigantic evil. And what I was doing at Louisville, Kentucky, thousands of other Christians and Christian minis- ters were beginning to do all over the South. But alas ! this thing of educating anpl preparing slaves to enjoy liberty is of too low and humble a character, and works too slowly, to suit the " fast men " of the present day, who are trying to reform the world, not only outside of the Bible and the church, but in opposition to, and contempt of both. Young America, ambitious of notoriety, and very courageous when the enemy is at a distance, cannot wait the slow process of educating the slave. He, who leaped from his mother's breast right into boots and spurs, can have but little sympathy AMERICAN SLAVERY. 215 with education, or any other training that requires time, labour, and patient endurance. Hence, the watchword of this Quixotic leader has ever been, " Cut the slaves loose from their 'masters; we'll take the responsibility. No matter whether it be a blessing or a curse to both masters and slaves : that is not our look-out." Fine material this, for thunder ; but there is no lightning in it no common sense, no wisdom, no gospel, no voice of God, as seen either in his word or in his providence. But, while the rumbling of this distant thunder at the north was beginning faintly to be heard at the south, under the pressure of the ever-accumulating duties, my constitution and strength gave way, and, being compelled to seek health in a foreign clime, the ties that had so long bound me to a loved and loving people had now to be severed ; and when the trying hour came, I found no cords more delicate and difficult to sunder than those which bound me to the coloured portion of my flock. For them I had laboured, prayed, and wept ; and for them I continued to pray after my feet were resting upon a foreign soil, hoping and trusting that my successor would be able, as I knew he was willing, to carry on the good work which had been commenced among them. But alas ! alas ! almost the first intelligence I received from America was the breaking up of this school, by northern fanatics scattering among this simple-hearted, confiding people incendiary billets and papers, compelling the masters, for their own safety, to do what they were reluctant to do, and what they never would have thought of doing, but for this northern thunder, which strikes in the dark, and, like the serpent's tooth, poisons and blights everything it touches.* But my experience stops not here. No sooner had God in mercy raised me up from the grave's brink, so that I could survey my new field, than I found myself in close contact with a new form of slavery, and a despotism more cruel and terrific than * See a letter on the subject of coloured schools in Louisville, Kentucky, at the end of this letter. 216 TREASURED MOMENTS. anything I had ever witnessed in the Southern States. Man- stealing and kidnapping with a vengeance ! Marline-spikes, brass-knuckles, blood, and murder, all associated with our merchant ships, and interlaced with American commerce ; and carried on in the streets of those very cities, and on board the ships owned and controlled by men connected with congregations whose pastors were haranguing them every Sabbath upon the dreadful sin of Southern slavery ! What was I now to do ? Could I shut my eyes to these outrages ; and then, to show my zeal for the Lord, keep up a mighty hue-and-cry about slavery away off in Kentucky ? Had I consulted my popularity, or my pocket, this would have been my course. My larder might have been kept stored with fine American hams, smoked beef, and preserved fruits, and my purse replenished with gold, no doubt, had I consented to wink at these terrible abuses and unheard cruelties on board our ships, moored at our very door ; and expended all my strength in preaching against evils and tyranny four thousand miles distant ; making these ship-masters and officers believe that, not they, but Southern slave-holders, " were sinners above all the Galileans." Such daubing with untempered mortar would no doubt have been a very soothing opiate to these sea-monsters. But, as God had brought me into a position where my eyes and my ears affected my heart, and where I could speak from personal knowledge, and preach, not about, nor against, but to the guilty, I did not keep silence. I grappled with these evils. To the full extent of my ability, and with all the powers I possessed, and all the gospel weapons I could wield, in the pulpit and in the street, on the ship and on shore, with my tongue and with my pen, right and left, I exposed these bloody deeds, and did what I could to ameliorate the condition of the sailor, to convince masters and officers of their great wrong, and to wipe out this foul blot from our national escutcheon ; and I have reason to know, that my labours have not been altogether in vain in the Lord. AMERICAN SLAVERY. 217 Now, suppose I had reversed the order of my work, and followed the example of your modern reformers ; and when settled in Kentucky, a thousand miles from any ships, with the Allegany Mountains between me and all danger, I had drawn my sword, and waged a terrible war with ship-masters and officers, exposing their cruelties, overlooking altogether the duties I owed to masters and slaves right around me ; and then, when the proper time came, and God in his providence brings me in contact with these very masters and officers, where I might speak and act efficiently, I became like the prophet's dumb dog nothing to say, no fault to find, speak- ing only of their good qualities, currying favour with them, and reserving all my thunder to pour forth against Southern slavery ; because, forsooth, I have three thousand miles of salt water between me and all danger. What would be thought of such a minister of the gospel, and of such ministrations ? I should feel that I deserved the contempt and execration of the world ; and I should expect to receive my deserts in due time. But I hasten to the more specific suggestions which, as a young pastor, you feel might be applicable to your case : and here I shall be very brief ; indeed, they suggest themselves from the remarks already made. " A young pastor settled over a congregation of rabid abolitionists, and ultra on all subjects of reform." One can scarcely conceive a more unenviable position. Surely, no sensible Christian minister could ever desire such a settlement. Nevertheless, it may be that you are more to be blamed than pitied ; and if you were an older man, I should be tempted to throw the old proverb into your teeth, " Like priest, like people." A pastor, who, from whatever cause or motive, neglects to preach the whole truth, and to bring forth from the sacred treasury things new and old, but mounts some popular hobby, is certain to create a storm that he cannot control. To know nothing among a people, "save Jesus Christ and him crucified," embraces a very wide, yea, I may say, the whole circle of revealed truth; but, ilS TREASURED MOMENTS. like the sun in the solar system, Christ is the centre aroiiud which all revolves, toward which all point, and from which all derive their power for good ; and whoever breaks from that orbit, turning his back upon the centre, no matter how many Bible truths he carries with him, he is flying off in a tangent towards some other centre, and, unless God interpose, will become a wandering star, " to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever." Ton say, " My people demand abolition preaching, and are never tired of that excitement attendant upon the discus- sion of all subjects connected with it" My reply is, God demands something else, and that is, preach the gospel, the entire gospel, and do not shun to declare the whole counsel of God, whether they will hear or forbear ; and answer your adversaries as did Peter and the other apostles under similar circumstances " We ought to obey God rather than men." Slavery existed among the Gentiles in the days of Christ and the apostles; but if they had preached nothing but aboli- tionism, we should have had a dry gospel, and to this day the whole world would have been "like the mountains of Gilboa/' and the church " like & heath in the desert" Preach the gospel in all its fulness and richness, speaking the truth in love. Be instant in season and out of season, holding up a Christ as the way, the truth, and the life," And if your people still rebel, and refuse to receive the sincere milk of the word, but prefer the busks that swine do eat* rest assured yon are among the wild asses of the desert, and the sooner you leave the better : seek another field. But you say, " The world is the field." True, but you are not Ing enough to occupy it all ; therefore, select a part ; and, by prayer and supplication, seek direction and guidance from God. Lean not to your own understanding. Lay yourself "a whole burnt-offering upon God's altar," keeping back no part of the price. And when the Spirit and providence of God shall point you to the little spot you are to AMERICAN SLAVERY. 219 cultivate, whether in China, Persia, Africa, or the islands of the sea, do not attempt to kindle a false fire, by reading fictitious nonsense about the dreadful condition of that people among whom you are to labour ; but ply yourself more intently than ever to the study of your Bible, in which is drawn, by the hand and pencil of the Great Architect, the only true portraiture of the human heart, the world over : " As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man/' In that same precious book, too, you will find God's feelings towards sin and every form of wickedness portrayed to the life. You will need no microscope, no telescope, no kaleidos- cope, no fancy sketch drawn by man or woman. Only secure by prayer the teachings of the Holy Spirit, as you read, and " the secret of the Lord is with you." Nor need you waste your time and strength, and wear out your throat, in raving against the dreadful wickedness of that people among whom you are going to labour ; but go at once, pack your trunk, and be off on the first ship that sails. " Or if, instead of a foreign field, your soul by prayer and God's Spirit has become stirred to its deepest depths for poor, bleeding Africa, and her enslaved sons at the South, do not go to peeping into " log-cabins" for light ; nor play the coward by loitering about the streets of Boston and New York, holding abolition meetings to abuse slaveholders. Neither mount Bunker Hill monument, nor secrete yourself in any other fortress, to open your batteries of curses and denuncia- tions against the South, as though that was any part of God's appointed means for reforming the world. But pack your trunk instanter, and be off South ; and when there, do not consort with the wicked, nor seek advice from scheming, wily politicians, but go directly to God's praying people, and tell them how your soul has been stirred on the sub- ject, and that you have come to pray, weep, and labour with them, in removing that curse from our land, by turning it into the richest blessing to both masters and slaves. And when on the way to your new field, should you meet with churches 220 TREASURED MOMENTS. afflicted with pastors who are in labour on this subject, as a woman in travail, entreat such churches to lose no time in shipping them South. It is the only hope of a safe deliverance, both for the pastor and the people. Yours, &c. The following letter will show, that in despite of Northern abolitionism, which, like a tornado, swept away the first schools among the slaves at Louisville, the true friends of the slave have rallied again, determined that the slave shall be blest with the gospel, whatever be the efforts of foreign incendiaries to prevent it COLOURED SABBATH SCHOOLS IN LOUISVILLE. Letter from, the Eev. H. W. Pierson, ageiti to the American Bible Society for Southern Kentucky, to the Editor of the Society's "Record" " MR. EDITOR, " Some weeks ago, I received an application from one of the Coloured Sabbath Schools in this city for a grant of Bibles and Testaments. This determined me to ascertain the condition of all the Coloured Sabbath Schools in the city, and learn what could be done in circulating the Word of God among them. I have accordingly visited all the Coloured Churches in the city seven in number have preached in five of them, and explained to them the character and operations of the American Bible Society, and have visited the Sabbath Schools, and shall soon preach in the other two. From these personal investigations, I am able to make the following statements in regard to these churches and schools : "1. The Fifth Street Baptist Church has about seven AMERICAN SLAVERY. 221 hundred members. Sabbath School, in good weather, averages about one hundred and fifty ; four-fifths slaves, and one-fifth free. " 2. Centre Street Methodist Church has about four hundred and seventy-five members. Sabbath School, in good weather, averages about one hundred and thirty ; more than nineteen- twentieths are slaves. Only a very few free persons belong to this congregation ; probably, less than fifty. " 3. Green Street Baptist Church has about four hundred members. Sabbath School, in good weather, averages about one hundred ; three-fourths slaves, and one-fourth free. "4 Ashbury Chapel, Methodist Church, has about two hundred members. Sabbath School, in good weather, averages about seventy-five; three-fourths slaves, and one-fourth free. "5. Harper's Chapel, Methodist Church, has about two hundred and fifty members. Sabbath School averages, in good weather, about forty; three-fourths slaves, and one-fourth free. " 6. Quinn's Chapel, Methodist Church, has about eighty- five members. Sabbath School, in good weather, averages about fifty ; two-thirds slaves, and one-third free. "7. Jackson Street, Methodist Church, has about eighty members. Sabbath School, in good weather, averages about thirty; one-half slaves, and one-half free. "Each one of these churches has a coloured pastor, to whom they give a comfortable support I have taken the estimates of the pastors and superintendents, in regard to the number of slaves and free persons in these congregations and schools. Some of the best people in the city are superin- tendents and teachers in these schools ; but the great majority of the teachers are coloured. All, both slaves and free, old and young, have the fullest liberty to attend these schools, learn to read, and receive instruction from the Bible ; and there is no hindrance to increasing these schools, but that which is everywhere felt, the want of teachers. During the last 222 TREASURED MOMENTS. summer, they have established the ' Sabbath School Monthly Concert for Prayer,' and now meet regularly on the second Monday evening of each month. I attended one of these concerts, when the parents and children came together, filling the church. It was the largest Sabbath School Monthly Con- cert I ever attended. I think there was not less than three hundred present. At that meeting a committee was appointed from their number, to request the Rev. Dr. Halsey, pastor of the Chestnut Presbyterian Church, to preach them a sermon on the subject of Sabbath Schools, which invitation he has recently complied with, preaching to a large and delighted coloured congregation of parents and children. At the same meeting they took measures for establishing Bible Classes for the teachers, and all others who were disposed to attend, for the purpose of studying the lessons they would teach on the Sabbath. Two of these ' Teachers' Meetings/ or Bible Classes, are already in successful operation, and others will soon be formed. These schools are now more flourishing, and their prospects for enlarged usefulness are greater than ever before. They want a grant of Bibles and Testaments for these Sabbath Schools and Bible Classes. But each of these churches has promised to take up a collection for the American Bible Society, the amount of which I will report to you. One coloured woman, in pouring out her gratitude to me for the interest I had taken in this subject, said she would give ten dollars when the collection for the Bible Society was taken up in her church. I explained to her that that might be in part payment to constitute her a life member of the society. She did not seem to be anxious for that, but said she ' would be a life giver to the Bible Society ; ' that would be pleasure enough for her ; that would be all she wanted. I have told all these churches, that while we should be very happy to give to them, to help them, we wished them to help others, to aid us in giving to the destitute of our own and other lands ; to which they responded a hearty ' Amen/ ' That's right ; ' and I doubt if there are any churches that will, hereafter be more cheerful AMERICAN SLAVERY. 223 and liberal in their annual collections to the Bible cause than these seven African churches. " After consultation with superintendents and other friends of these schools, I have concluded to ask for a grant of one hundred " Bibles (brevier, roan embossed, No. 30) and one hundred and fifty School Testaments (sheep, No. 61).* I. will see that these are distributed among these several schools according to their respective wants." * The grant herein requested was very cheerfully made by the Board. Editor of " Eecord" 22-fe APHORISM S. 1. "THE counsel of the Lord stand eth for ever;" "every purpose of the Lord shall be performed," no less with regard to the descendants of Ham, than with regard to any other purpose God has formed. Every believer in the Bible, therefore, must believe that the descendants of Ham are to be bondmen, or "a servant of servants" to some nation or people, till God's purposes regarding them are fully accom- plished. 2. God's purposes are all formed in infinite benevolence, and their final accomplishment will be the salvation of that race. In the execution of his purposes, God leads men and nations in paths they know not, " for his own name's sake ; " and though the wicked rave and rage at God's onward march in the perfect fulfilment of his glorious and eternal purposes, yet they cannot thwart them, nor break away from his sovereign control over them ; He will hold them fast, and make their very wrath to praise him. But 3. God's revealed law, and not his decrees, must ever be the rule of our action ; therefore, no man has a right to catch a son of Ham, and make him a slave for his own selfish pur- pose, and then attempt to screen himself behind God's decrees : his sin will surely find him out, and God will not hold him guiltless. Woe, woe betide the men who send their ships to the shores of Africa, and, for filthy lucre, make merchandise of the bodies and souls of men ! Verily, as they love these wages of unrighteousness, so for this very transgression and AMERICA^ SLAVERY. 225 disobedience shall they receive " a just recompense of reward," " for the wages of sin is death." But 4. Were I to awake in the morning, and find a poor depen- dent pagan at my door, or secreted in my stable, whether he were a son of Shem, Ham, or Japhet, instead of thrusting him from me, or handing him over to the cold charities of a selfish world, I should rather be disposed to take him in, and try to Christianise him, and while I was teaching him, and giving him food and raiment, I should probably set him to work, and, as a part of his Christian education, teach him the value of time, and the importance of acquiring industrious habits ; and, in doing all this for him, I should expect, for the time being, he would thereby be content. I should be likely to do all this without ever thinking of God's decrees, but only of his great law of love, " the golden rule." And should I, by chance, find out that this pagan was a descendant of Ham, I might feel increased pleasure in drawing him still closer to my heart, that I might instruct him more perfectly, enlarge his views, and elevate him more and more ; and as I saw him rising into the perfect stature of a man in Christ Jesus, I might console and comfort him, and both of us rejoice together, that God's mysterious decrees, in his personal dependence and bondage, were to redound so much to God's glory, and this seeming curse be turned into the richest blessing to his own soul. " God's ways are not our ways." Hence, we may learn 5. What were the duties of American Christians on the subject of slavery, when we first began to breathe the breath, and to feel the warm pulsations, of an independent nation ? We say Christians, not legislative bodies. We have no more faith in politics, or politicians, in removing moral evil, than we have in the wild beasts of Daniel's vision. Those beasts were God's chosen symbols of political powers f and whenever God's ministers are found astride of any one of them, with the expectation of driving any prevailing evil out of a land, no matter whether it be the " lion with eagle's wings/' or the non- descript with great iron teeth, or a " ram with two horns," p 226 TREASURED MOMENTS. or a "he-goat with a notable horn between his eyes," they will all be doomed to meet what Balaam's ass saw " the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand/' In my boyhood, I looked upon a Christian statesman with nearly as much veneration as I now look with contempt upon the crafty, unprincipled politician. But, to return : when our fathers awoke from that dark, tempestuous night of the revo- lution, to behold the thirteen sister colonies, which could be neither severed nor conquered, now linked together by solemn compact and compromise, a united confederate sovereignty, drawn toward each other by one common bond of sympathy and affinity of interests, now in possession of liberty, purchased by their mutual treasures, and cemented by mutual blood ; and as they beheld the rays of the morning sun first smile and play upon the face of this new-born sovereign this giant in embryo and remembered that a million and a half of poor pagans were then lying at their doors, forced upon them in their minority, during their colonial weakness, against their most solemn protestations and remonstrances ; what was the duty of Christians then ? What would have been more beautiful and Christlike than to have seen the whole church of Christ at the North arise, in all her strength, love, and mag- nanimity, and to have proclaimed to their Southern brethren, in all the fulness of their hearts, " This great burden of slavery rests heavier upon your shoulders than upon ours ; and as we have, in the days of our ignorance, and by our ships and money, shared with England in the sin and shame of laying this burden upon you, we are now willing to share ivith you the toils and hardships, the labours of love and of duty, in teaching and Christianising these poor heathen, and thus prepare them for the enjoyment of those blessings we have so dearly purchased for ourselves " ? Had this been done, what a different spectacle would our glorious Union now present to the eyes of all Christendom ! What would have been beautiful and Christlike then would be beautiful now. What was our duty then is our AMERICAN SLAVERY. 227 duty now. How sad to reflect, that just the opposite of all this began early to manifest itself in the Northern States. As one State after another freed itself from the shackles, its tone and manner to the others was, " Stand by, we are holier than thou." Until now, many Northern men imagine they have performed their whole duty on this subject, whenever they mount the platform, and can get a chance to pour out the vials of their wrath upon their Southern brethren, without ever proposing one practical thing to be done. 6. This unchristian, vindictive spirit, so rife at the North, and so totally unworthy an enlightened Christian people, has been prolific of evil, unmixed and unmitigated, both at the North and at the South. It has nourished and fostered a spirit and temper, all over the country, as wide from the spirit and temper of Christ and his teachings as is the gulf that divides the two coming worlds. Its tendency is to destroy everything that is lovely and of good report. Like a tornado it sweeps over the land, breaking up societies, churches, and schools, whose object has been to instruct and elevate the coloured race, thus putting further and further off the day of their final deliverance. During a residence of eight years in East Tennessee, I taught many coloured slaves to read, without the least opposition. Nor had I any personal knowledge of the buying or selling of but one slave during that time, and he was bought by a few Christian gentlemen, to educate for the ministry. And he was educated, and an eminently useful and eloquent minister of the gospel he proved to be. Often did I sit down with him both at the social and the communion table ; often was I with him in the pulpit, taking part in the services ; often did I listen to sermons from his lips, so tender, so heart-searching, and so truly eloquent, as to melt into tears a mixed congregation of three thousand souls, two-thirds of whom were slaves of his own colour. Now, one such case as this GEORGE ERSKIN, taken from bondage, educated, and elevated to the pulpit, to take his stand among Christ's ministers, to preach p2 228 TREASURED MOMENTS. the gospel to mixed audiences in the very heart of a Slave State has more power in it for good, and can do more in a single year to loosen the bonds of slavery, than all the yelling and raving of abolitionists in a lifetime ; the one is of unmixed good, the other of unmixed and unmitigated evil. And so visibly were the evils of slavery modified in East Tennessee by the power of the gospel, and so anxiously and hopefully were the people looking forward to the time when the curse would be removed, and so openly and freely did they speak on the subject, that one could scarcely realise he was in a Slave State at alL But aroused by this northern thunder, rumbling through their beautiful valleys, and reverberating from their mountain peaks, they have been compelled, for their own safety, as in other States, to take steps backward. So with Kentucky. Judge Jay speaks truly of the change in the opinions of their great statesman, Henry Clay, between the years 1797 and 1838,* once the advocate of emancipation, then impelled to retreat from that position ; and why ? It lias been fallaciously termed "a triumph which slavery achieved, and which attests its withering power over exalted genius and high and generous aspirations." No, no, slavery can boast of no such triumphs. These are the laurels won by Northern fanatics, and entwine the brows of ultra-abolitionists, of whom Clay truly and eloquently said, " With them civil war is nothing ; the dissolution of the Union is nothing ; the over- throw of a government, in which are concentrated the fondest hopes of the civilised world, is nothing." Judge Jay also bears testimony to the boldness with which the Presbyterian Synod of Kentucky spoke out on the subject of slavery in 1835. Yes, they were then not afraid to speak out. From 1828 to 1836, 1 laboured in that State, and was a member of that Synod. We could all speak, and did speak, and act too, on the subject of slavery ; and why does not that Synod speak and act now, as they did then ? For the very reason that a prudent man, with a magazine under his dwelling, would not fill it with * See Jay's " View of the Action of Government." AMERICAN SLAVERY. 229 powder so long as he saw an enemy prowling around in the dark, with a lighted torch in his hand. Could Southern Christians and Christian ministers have been left to them- selves, to carry out their own benevolent plans, in educating and Christianising the coloured people, receiving from the North nothing but kindness and encouragement, and the prayers of God's people, in a word, if modern abolitionism had never had an existence or a name, ere this, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky would have been either Free States, or would have enacted such laws as should have a prospective bearing upon the emancipation of their slaves. Of this there remains not the shadow of a doubt in my mind. But no, these wiseacres at the North declare " they shall not take time to prepare their slaves for freedom \" " immediate, unconditional emancipation that or nothing" How absurd ! how cruel ! a more preposterous demand can hardly be conceived of, nor can we conceive of a greater calamity befalling the poor slaves : truly, they have need to call mightily upon God to deliver them from their friends. But who are their real friends ? So far as a finite mind can detect any definite object in abolitionists, that object is impracticable, unmerciful, inhuman, and seems to savour far more of vindictiveness toward the masters, than of love and compassion toward the slaves. What man, pos- sessing a sound mind and a benevolent heart, could wish for a moment to see three millions and a half of poor, helpless beings torn from their homes and protectors, and thrown out upon the cold charities of this selfish world ? The poverty and crime, and the loathing, heart-sickening vices, that abound in the outskirts of our northern cities, exhibit but a faint type of what would be the bitter fruits of such an insane act. 7. " The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked ; who can know it ?" The following may serve as illus- trations : A quiet, peaceable citizen is suddenly converted into a red-hot abolitionist, destroying the peace of families, breaking up schools and churches, and scattering firebrands 230 TREASURED MOMENTS. and desolation all around him. Everybody wonders at the change from a lamb into a tiger; it is even against nature, and just the opposite to the work of grace in the heart. God's Spirit and truth could never work such a change : it is not the fruit of the Spirit ; for " by their fruit ye shall know them/'' If the power be not from above, it is from beneath. Or, can any one imagine any earthly power commensurate with such a change? All are in the dark, till at length it ekes out that, a week prior to this man's conversion, he had offered his hand to a young widow from the South, possessing the comfortable dowry of three hundred slaves, with cotton plantations to match ; which hand was indig- nantly rejected. Hence, that sudden volcanic eruption of wrath and fiery indignation against Southern slavery. But where is the philosopher who would undertake to determine precisely what amount of this burning lava was hurled at slavery in general, and what proportion was aimed at the widow in particular ? Did the widow, in this case> receive more than her thirds ? Then, again, his sympathy and heart-rending agony for the poor slave ! Did the widow's three hundred receive more than the other three million ? Then, again, the nature and character of that sympathy and deep agony Was it because these three hundred were slaves in common with others ; or was it because he had failed in his attempt to become their owner. and master? Oh, ye Lockes and Newtons ; what a field for your mighty minds to revel in ! Often have I turned away from listening to the abuse of these newly-fledged lecturers ; wondering to myself, " What poor widow at the South is getting it now /" Another specimen : a Northern man, of loud professions, loans a sum of money to a Southern planter ; the planter dies. This Northern professor of religion hastens South, finds that his only available means of securing his debt was in the negroes ; he seized them, had them all sold to the highest bidder. A small deficit still remained, to meet which he could find nothing. Sorely vexed at Ids loss, he returned Lome, AMERICAN SLAVERY. 231 mounted the platform, and from that day to the day of his death, was the most violent of all the abusers of Southern slavery. There are plenty more of just such specimens, but these may suffice to show what deductions we are compelled to make, in sifting and analysing the ingredients that enter into this furor on this* subject. What proportion of this Northern steam has been gendered by this kind of fuel, we will not undertake to say. 8. Slavery is a bad thing, but God intends to bring a good thing out of it, and will do it in his own way and time ; and it is much safer for man to fall in with the providences of God, and work by the gospel rule, than to seize the reins, and attempt to force God into our own speculations. And inasmuch as ultra-abolitionism has as yet accomplished no good, but an incalculable amount of evil, would it not be wiser for its abettors to pause and consider what manner of spirit they are of, "and to give glory to the Lord their God, before he cause darkness, and before their feet stumble upon the dark mountains," where so many of them have already fallen? fallen, because too proud to submit their will to God's will, their standard to God's standard ; their method of dealing with moral evil, with God's method. Therefore, "when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful ; but became vain in their imagina- tions, and their foolish heart was darkened : professing them- selves to be wise, they became fools."* 9. American slavery is never to be removed by any outside influences, incendiary movements, or political or ecclesiastical chicanery. And as God intends to convert slavery in the United States into the richest blessings, both to the slaves and to Africa, so 10. God only can and will remove the curse from the * The numbers in the United States who have made shipwreck of their faith, in this very contest with God, is truly frightful. They erect, first, their own standards ; and when they find that neither God nor his word will bend to them, they cast both away. 232 TREASURED MOMENTS. American Union through and by his own appointed means that glorious but despised gospel, held forth and proclaimed by men of a self-sacrificing spirit, and who have self-denial enough to live and labour on the ground where the evil exists. Then will its removal redound to the glory of God, and of his gospel, and be crowned with blessings to masters and slaves, to America and Africa, to the church and to the world. 233 LETTER SUPPLEMENTARY. MODERN REFORMERS THEIR SPIRIT NOT THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST THEIR PLAN OF REFORMING THE WORLD NOT GOD'S PLAN THEIR WEAPONS NOT OF GOD'S CHOOSING REFORMERS NEED REFORMING. 11 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my waysj &aith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts^" MORE than twenty-five hundred years ago, God made this proclamation to the world. Yet poor fallen man, be he Jew or Gentile, is just as ready to contest this point with his Maker, and insist upon his own thoughts and his own ways with as much effrontery, as though God had never spoken on the subject. Happy would it be for the church and the world, if this terrible sin of contending with God could be laid only at the door of unbelievers. But, sad and painful as is the sight, we cannot close our eyes to the fact, that a mighty army of these modern theorisers and would-be reformers, " who once witnessed a good confession," and bade fair to "run well," are now drifting towards a lee shore, already strewed with the bones of thousands, who first made shipwreck of their faith in this very contest with God. Bold, daring, and ambitious of distinction, they first draw a vivid picture of what the world is, then of what it ought to be, and losing sight of the fact that all sin has its stronghold in the 234 TREASURED MOMENTS. human heart, and is committed against God, and looking only at some of the grosser manifestations of it, as detrimental to man's welfare in this life, such as war, slavery, drunkenness, and the like, they mount them as hobbies, determined to ride them to death. And now, after chalking out their plan for the campaign, erecting their own standards, choosing their own weapons, measuring themselves by themselves, which Paul says " is not wise," thus equipped and harnessed for the combat, they seize the Bible, not to learn the path of duty that is already known, laid down in their chart, and clearly denned in their programme but to twist and torture it into the support of their own ambitious designs. They put it into their crucible, seethe it, pommel it, stretch it, and trim it ; but it utters the same language still, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." Into the furnace it goes again, heated seven times hotter than it was wont to be heated. Now on the anvil, now into the vice, then under the rasp and the file, but all to no purpose ; it comes forth unscathed, and without the smell of fire upon its sacred pages ; and, louder than seven thunders, it reiterates this same proclamation of Jehovah, " AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN TOUR WAYS, AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS." And just here commences that terrible conflict between God and the sinner one whose conscience has been partially enlightened, has tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, but has never submitted himself to the righteousness of God ; nor has his self-will been brought low, that the Lord alone might be exalted. God says to these would-be reformers : " The pride of thy heart hath deceived thee." " Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself but I will reprove thee." And it is at this very point, too, that these reformers, so con- fident in the perfection of their own dogmas, rise in rebellion against both God and the Bible. Yea, so confident, so pre- AMERICAN SLAVERY. 235 sumptuous, so self-willed do they become, that, rather than admit that they can be in an error, they will boldly declare, " that if God's thoughts are not their thoughts, and God's ways their ways," on this given subject, they will discard both God and the Bible ; and in this we have the answer to the oft-re- peated question; "-Why is it that so many of these modern reformers plunge into the gulf of infidelity and atheism?" It is because they find themselves too weak to grapple with omnipotence, and God's truth not supple enough to suit their purposes ; and being too proud " to submit themselves to the righteousness of God, and becoming vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts darkened, professing to be wise, they become fools." Then commences that torrent of abuse, and the pouring out of the vials of their wrath against every soul that differs from them, which has marked ever}- step of their progress, their wrath and bitter cursings always in exact proportion to the vividness with which their opponents make the truth to appear. This is natural ; it was just so with Peter. So long as he could parry off the accusations of the maids, he kept himself apparently cool ; but when the light of demonstration was poured into his guilty soul, by the cnarge that he was a Galilean, and that his very speech betrayed him, he could no longer keep his temper, but " began to curse and to swear." Peter, by nature, was a reformer of the first water, and of the modern stamp. He ccrald deny his Lord, lie, curse and swear, work himself into a passion, draw his sword, cut off a man's ear, and perform many other exploits equally courageous : but his Saviour had compassion upon him, looked him into penitence, contrition, and love ; commanded him to put up his sword, taught him the great truth, that his kingdom was not of this world, nor were the weapons of his warfare carnal, but spiritual " and mighty, through God, to the pulling down of strongholds." This arrant reformer became reformed, and he who might have been a terrible curse to the world became, through grace, a great and lasting blessing. Paul also was another great reformer of the same type, till met by 236 TREASURED MOMENTS. the same Saviour at the gate of Damascus, where he was taught " a more excellent way ; " and becoming a man of faith and prayer, and having the scales taken from his eyes, he discovered that all his zeal for reform was actually fighting against God ; and now saw, for the first time, " that God's thoughts were not his thoughts." From this hour Paul became a blessing to the world. Would that the same CRUCIFIED ONE, now THE RISEN AND GLORIFIED SAVIOUR, would show like compassion to many of our modern reformers ! When men's ways and thoughts are in harmony with God's ways and thoughts, they can afford to be kind and amiable in their manner and language ; and nothing betrays more quickly and clearly the weakness of a man's cause, than to see him always in a bad temper. The very look, manner, and speech of modern reformers and theorisers betray their spirit. The air they assume, the defiant tone with which they give utterance to their abuse, all speak one language are like frontlets between their eyes, or as an index that points to the inward misgivings that the Lord is not on their side, " that God's ways are not their ways, nor his thoughts their thoughts." It is with just such a spirit that the real friends of Africa and of the slave have had to contend, for the last twenty years, in the United States. I repeat now what I felt and said then, that this spirit of bitter denunciation, malice, and wrath, can do no good, but worketh evil, and that continually ; and the development on this subject, North and South, as seen in legislative halls and ecclesiastic assemblies, are but a confirmation of what God long since revealed, that " The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." Master and slave, the statesman and the Christian, have alike drunk of the bitter cup, and tasted the bitter fruit of this malignant, Satanic spirit. Many speak and write as though there could be but one side to this great complex question as to what is the very best thing to be done, for the slave first ; the country, the master, AMERICAN SLAVERY. 237 and all connected with, or in any way involved in, this great organic evil ! When, like all other similar questions of casuistry, there must of necessity be a broad surface of de- batable ground, upon which the best, the wisest, and most conscientious men will be found on opposite sides, how pitiable, or rather despicable, appears the man who arrogates to himself infallibility and the right to denounce and proscribe every man that differs from him ! It is not so much the magnitude of the subject, as the malignity of the spirit in discussing it, that has kept our whole country, for the last quarter of a century, like a ship in a storm at sea, driven by fierce winds and tossed. With the political phase of this question I have nothing to do ; it is not within my province. I address myself to Chris- tians, to those who profess to take the Bible for their guide, and to imbibe its spirit. And now, for the sake of argument, let us admit that all the tremendous evils which the most ultra- abolitionists attribute to slavery are, in deed and in truth, inherent in the system; and that slavery, as it exists in the United States, is the greatest pecuniary, moral, social, religious and political curse ever inflicted upon any nation or people. What then ? Is that any reason why we should work ourselves up into a furious passion, forgetting what manner of spirit we are of ; throw away our Bibles and the whole gospel armour, and seize upon carnal weapons, and wage a perpetual war with our brethren at the South ? " Should we not rather put on bowels of mercies and kindness ? " Have not the masters souls, as well as the slaves ? And are not the souls of both masters and slaves put in jeopardy by such an exhibition of wrath, malice, and revenge, and bitter cursings, which, like a river of liquid fire, is unceasingly rolling from the North into the Southern States, aided and abetted by those calling themselves Christians, professing to have the Spirit of Christ, and to be filled with " that love that suffereth long, and is kind " ? Can the liberation of a body from temporal bondage outweigh, in the Christian's mind, the 238 TREASURED MOMENTS. deliverance of a soul from eternal bondage ? And is it not painful in the extreme to listen to speeches at the North, in which the stealing of their master's horses, and even the taking of their master's life, is recommended and justified, if so be the body may be set at liberty ? And in these ebulli- tions of heated passion, how palpable and significant the fact, that the real good of the slave, and the awakening of kindly feelings and sympathies on his behalf, are matters of small importance, and quite lost sight of, in their mightier and more desperate efforts to arouse the vilest passions anger, revenge, and war to the knife, against the master. If they love not the slave less, certain it is they hate the master more. And did not that abolitionist, who swore " that their business was to cut the slaves loose from their masters, and then they might all go to the devil together, for aught he cared," did he not, in this declaration, unwittingly let out the real secret of their ultimatum on this subject ? Is this a Bible doctrine ? Is mere personal liberty, in this short life, the only or chief blessing, to purchase which the Son of God gave his own life a ransom ? Is this a Christian spirit, and can God bless such a spirit ? If our brethren at the South be in an error, does not the Bible point out a more excellent way to enlighten them ? Is this the gospel method of grappling with great, organic, national evils, the world over ? Are missionaries sent to Turkey, China, Japan, or India, to seize men by the throat, and compel rulers, magistrates, and masters to bow, immediately and unconditionally, to their views of what is right, or even to what they know the Scriptures teach? And is not this the radical mistake of these rabid abolitionists ? Do they not overlook the glorious fact, that God's blessed gospel has been given to the world for the express purpose of rooting out and eradicating every false principle, every evil way, "and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God ;" and that the weapons of this warfare are " not carnal, but mighty, through God, to the pulling down AMERICAN SLAVERY. 239 of strongholds"? in a word, that the gospel is "Heaven's great panacea " for all the ills and evils that can afflict men and nations ; and that this " balm of Gilead " is ever to be applied in the spirit of meekness, tenderness, and with a depth of compassion and love, " that is not easily provoked, and thinketh no evil " ? Nor will God honour or bless any other means than that which he has appointed. No patent remedies ! No nostrums of man's device ! No sentimentalism, however exquisite and refined, can be brought in as a substitute, or be mixed up with God's truth. His own word, and his own word alone, will " God magnify above all his name." But, that we may be able to discriminate a little more clearly between " God's ways and man's ways " of reforming this world, let us suppose, for the sake of illustration, that these modern sciolists should all band together, and organise into one grand reformatory society, to sweep and garnish the earth, and empty it of all human woe. They issue their proclamation, calling upon Young America and all lovers of progress to rally for universal reform, universal freedom, universal equality and brotherhood. They send forth their missionaries into all the world, each and all selected with special reference to their peculiar qualifications for the field in which they are respectively to labour, and to the difficulties to be overcome. The pagan world being supplied, the reserve corps, like Napoleon's marshals, are brought up, sorted out, and despatched to those points through- out Christendom at which it is supposed the battle is to wax the hottest. The Rev. A. is commissioned to England, as a " leveller," with specific instructions to overthrow the Estab- lished Church, break up the aristocracy, "pitch into the cabinet," * overhaul their India legislation, and place the whole British empire upon the high road of progress and reform, " Equality and equal rights " being the watchword. * A favourite expression among the modern reformers of the United States, and much used in the ranks of " Young America." 210 TREASURED MOMENTS. Rev. B. is appointed to Russia, to liberate the serfs, put down the nobles, divide and distribute the lands upon the basis of equal rights in property. The ladies of the court to be stripped of their jewels, to supply the liberated serfs with Sharp's rifles, in case of an insurrection among the crushed nobility ; and to secure uniformity, and prevent all unholy ambition and strife in the weaker vessel, hooped skirts are to ' be repudiated, and the Bloomer costume to be universally adopted as the immutable law of the land. Rev. J. is commissioned to Germany ; sails under sealed orders. On his disembarkation, he breaks the seals, and finds that his specific work is to form all kinds of " anti-societies," " pitch into " gambling-saloons, beer-barrels, tobacco-pipes, and things in general. Rev. T. P., so notorious for his courage and tenacity in gnawing the file, is sent to Scotland to " pitch into " old Calvinism, and tear it up root and branch. He commences his labours by forming societies of " fast young Scotchmen " of the baser sort progressive, presumptuous, self-willed, and "not afraid to speak evil of dignities/' On parading in the city of Edinburgh, they descry the house of old John Knox, jutting right out into the street, as if to oppose their progress, or to remind them of what kind of metal the old Scotch reformers were composed of. The shout is raised, " Down with that idol an incentive to idolatry, a gross type of fogeyism !" The house is demolished, and upon its ruins a log-cabin is erected, as the symbol of modern reform ; while " EQUALITY, PRO- GRESS, UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD, AND UNIVERSAL SALVA- TION " are written in large capitals upon the ample folds of the white flag that waves over it. They now unanimously and by acclamation vote " Uncle Tom's Cabin " as their only Bible, and Tom Paine's " Age of Reason " as the exponent of their religion, and the " Atlantic Monthly " the vehicle of their literature. The works of Calvin, Luther, Wycliffe, Knox, Huss, and of all the old reformers, are now gathered from all the libraries in AMERICAN SLAVERY. 2-41 the city and the land, into one pile, larger than their cabin, to which, in the dusk of the evening, the torch is applied ; and in the light of this bonfire, they write out their report, in which sarcasm, wit, low jests, and ridicule are blended ; and in the conclusion of which, they congratulate their patrons at home that Scotland is fast receiving the new light, and her reforma- tion nearly complete. While this reform is going on in Scotland, l)r. C. is commissioned to the South, to take the bull by the horns, and put an end to slavery ; and without follow- ing all these modern reformers through their brief career of missionary exploits, let us keep our eye upon Dr. C. He lands in the South, and commences his ministrations before a large, mixed audience of masters and slaves ; proving, as he thinks, most logically and conclusively, that slavery is sin, per se ; that God is against it ; consequently, slaves were under no obligations to obey their masters, but possessed an undoubted right to free themselves by whatever means lie in their reach. Before he has half finished his long and laboured sermon, every antagonistic feeling and passion of the human heart has become fully aroused. A mob ensues ; he dies a martyr : his mission terminates ere it is fairly begun ; and with how much success in the great work committed to his trust we will not stop to inquire ; but simply add, that these are but specimens, or pictures if you please, illustrative of " man's ways," in contradistinction from " God's ways," of reforming the world They may very properly be termed "THE NEW MEASURES," adopted by YOUNG AMERICA for eradicating all kinds of evil from the world, and ushering in a millennial day. It is li terally and solely man's work, and to man belongs the glory. But alas ! how brief his glorification ! True, the world may become empty, swept, and garnished ; but its spirit is not changed. And the unclean spirit returns, with seven other spirits more wicked than himself. They enter in, and now the last state of the world is worst than the first ; even so shall it be unto this wicked generation. In all this sweeping and garnishing Q 242 TREASURED MOMENTS. Christ and his gospel have been virtually repudiated, and the goddess " LIBERTY" exalted and worshipped. Now God says to these self-constituted reformers, " My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." Let us then, by way of contrast, look at God's method for reforming this world. God's proclamation reads thus : " Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature/' Yes, the gospel " good news, glad tidings/' which shall be unto all people ; because needed by all people, suited to all people, and is a revelation of the grace of God to fallen man through a Mediator ; the gospel of Christ, " which is the power of God unto salvation ; " " Christ crucified, the way, the truth, and the life ; " Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God, though " unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness." Now, instead of Dr. C., let us suppose Paul himself to be the missionary at the South. He rises with a feeling, loving heart and weeping eyes, before a mixed audience of masters and slaves, parents and children ; and, under a deep and overpowei'ing sense of his responsibilities to God, and his obligations to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, and not to speak evil of dignities he opens the Bible, and reads from his own Epistle to the Ephesians, as follows : " Children, obey your parents in the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart ; knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And. ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven ; neither is there respect of persons with him." - An admirable text for the occasion ! " And now," says Paul, " behold the golden rule, which is to be the burden of my theme ! ' He that hath an ear, let him hear/ " AMERICAN SLAVERY. 243 Paid now unfolds this heaven-born principle, holding up this golden rule, and presenting it in all its phases and bearings upon each and every individual ; pressing it home upon all classes ; dealing out to each one master and servants, parent and child his portion in due season ; giving to each and all specific and minute instructions suited to their re- spective circumstances, stations, and responsibilities in life, and the peculiar relations they sustain one to another. And now, upon one and all, he enforces the great principle of "HOLY LOVE," which is the fulfilling of the law. " Masters, love your servants/' " Servants, love your masters." " Parents, and children, love each other." "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour ;" therefore, " love is the fulfilling of the law." God honours and blesses this preaching ; the Holy Spirit descends upon the congregation ; the word of God is magni- fied above all his name ; and oh, what tenderness ! what mingling of soul with soul ! The hearts of the fathers are turned to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Servants rejoice in the affections of their masters, and the hearts of their masters are melted into ten- derness and love toward their servants. All is joy, peace, and goodwill. Christ is honoured; his truth is honoured; his glorious gospel is honoured, " and made the wisdom of God, and the power of God." The truth, thus spoken in love, excites no angry passions, no spirit of revenge ; Paul's life and usefulness are prolonged ; and this work of the Holy Spirit in renewing the heart, " casting down imaginations and every high thing that ex- alteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ," spreads from heart to heart, from family to family, from State to State, till the chains of the slave gradually melt away under the power of this divine love, and, ere he is aware, drop from his hands ; and thus, under the influence of this heaven-born principle of the gospel, the abstract question of slavery is practically settled before it has been discussed. Q 2 24i TREASURED MOMENTS. Behold the difference between " God's ways" and "man's ways/' in reforming this world ! Man works only at the branches; God lays the axe at the root. Man throws his nostrums into the rivulets; God purifies the fountain. Man looks only upon the outward appearance ; God looketh upon the heart. Man simply requires right actions towards his fellow-man ; God requires that a man shall not only act right, but feel right, and act from a pure and holy motive, both towards God and towards man.* True, Paul, in his practical abolitionism, has won no laurels, has done nothing whereof to glory, has not even found a martyr's grave ; but is satisfied in simply performing his duty, as a minister of Jesus Christ, preaching the truth in love, giving glory to God ; and thereby sacrificing all that notoriety and self-glorification that he might have acquired by remain- ing a thousand miles off, shooting his paper bullets, and thundering out his anathemas from Union Square or Brooklyn Heights, and glorifying human liberty into a Diana, exalting her above all that is called God. Poor Paul ! what notoriety he lost by his ignorance of modern tactics ! But, blessed be God, his life and his preaching still live to enlighten and bless mankind, notwithstanding he was so far behind the present age. Once more, mark the difference between " God's ways " and " man's ways/' between God's gospel and man's gospel. Man's gospel is a gospel of wrath of war to the knife against all men, all institutions, and all governments, that differ from his own private views. God's gospel is a gospel of " peace on earth, and goodwill toward men/' It wars with no forms of human government ; quarrels with no man's creed, abstractly considered ; presents no hostile or menacing attitude in any * The religion of many modern reformers is little more than a sickly senti- mentalism, whose teachings all point to one idea ; to wit, man, as a sinner against God, is more to be pitied than blamed ; but to sin against a fellow-man is the unpardonable sin, for which he must be condemned and executed, without benefit of clergy. Not so thought David ; he looked upon all sin as committed against God " Against thee, thee only, have I sinned." And as all sin is against God only, so Ids gospel is the only remedy. AMERICAN SLAVERY. 245 man's path ; lays no rude hand upon organised and cherished institutions and social relations, as such ; yet acts as " a refiner's fire and fuller's soa," in purging out from them all the tin and the dross, and whatever is not in harmony with the law of love, and blending into one holy compact all that bears the stamp of its own heavenly origin.* MULTUM IN PARVO. COMFORTING THOUGHTS. 1. THE Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 2. His decrees are all righteous, wise, and infinitely perfect. 3. He cannot do wrong ; but doeth all things well. 4. He ruleth in heaven, in hell, over all worlds and nations. 5. He maketh the wrath of man to praise him. 6. Will bring order out of confusion, and light out of dark- ness. 7. The kingdom to which the Christian belongs is not of this world. 8. Like his Divine Master, therefore, he is obliged to bear with many things from the powers that be, which his heart cannot approve. 9. If evils exist, which the Christian cannot remove by any of God's appointed means, he may be sure that God has some ulterior good to accomplish in permitting them to exist. * The early fathers and reformers seemed to understand this subject better than many at the present day. I mean, the distinction between those specific instructions given for the guidance of Christians under peculiar circumstances, and those great fundamental principles and abstract questions appertaining to the gospel, and which work like leaven, slowly, imperceptibly, it may be, but steadily and effectually, in changing and modifying laws and governments, eradicating organic sins, and working out the most perfect and happy reforms in all the religious, political, and social relations in life. (See " Neander'a History of the Planting and Training of the Churches.") 246 TREASURED MOMENTS. 10. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him. Let the Christian, therefore, endeavour to find out what that " secret good " is, to be brought out of existing evils, and then cheerfully fall in with God's providences in the matter. 11. Slavery is one of the great evils of the world. Chris- tians have never been able to eradicate it from the earth ; and where they have united with civil governments suddenly to destroy it in any given country or island, it has generally increased rather than diminished the evil, both to masters and to slaves. 12. The great work of the Christian is not the sundering of ties that bind masters and slaves, but to lead both to Christ. These two different works belong to two different kingdoms, one of this world, the other not of this world. 13. No three millions of heathen can be found in the world, more accessible, more within the reach of Christian influence, and where richer fruits have followed Christian efforts, than the three millions of slaves in the United States. This does not prove that it was right for old England to force them upon us when we were a colony ; nor does it prove that it is right for the present kingdom of this world to hold them in bondage, but proves what is the duty and the privilege of the Christian. 14. No Christian missions in the world can show in ore abundant fruit of their labours, or happier results of their prayer, faith, and toil, than those in which a few humble Christians have been engaged among the slaves of the South. And if Christians would cease from mingling in those noisy debates about theories and dogmas, and the kind of tracts to publish, and wasting their strength and energies in keeping up a perpetual hue-and-cry between the North and South, and just go to work to convert souls, yes, convert slaves into G >d's freemen, go forth among them, not under the banner of party names, but solely in the name and strength of the Lord Jesus Christ, tell the simple story of the cross, what glorious AMERICAN SLAVERY. 247 results would follow ! The world does not furnish a more inviting field. 15. Has not God permitted slavery to exist in the United States for the very purpose of giving to Christians an opportu- nity of showing their love to their Lord and Master in educating and Christianising them, and thus preparing them to carry back to their own native land the glorious light and liberty of the precious gospel of Christ ? PRESENT IMPRESSIONS AND CONVICTIONS. AFTER more than thirty yeaiV experience in public life, during which time it has been my privilege to travel through every Slave State in the Union, and to preach the gospel in those States, to the whites and to the blacks, to masters and to slaves, sometimes promiscuously assembled together, and sometimes divided into separate congregations, and after a permanent residence of several years in the city of New York, and spending, in the aggregate, years in Boston and other cities and towns in New England, preaching and labouring for various benevolent objects, and embracing every opportunity of attending public meetings of all sorts and descriptions, and for all purposes connected with educational, moral, or religious movements, and having listened to speeches upon all the varied phases in which slavery has been held up to view, from their mightiest orators down to the lowest ribaldry and insane ravings and the vilest atheistical balderdash that ever issued from woman's tongue, and having narrowly watched the spirit and temper exhibited by these various speakers, I do here record it as my deep and solemn conviction, for which I am to give an account to God in the day of judgment, that were Jesus Christ to revisit the earth in person, travel through the United States, preach the same glorious 248 TREASURED MOMENTS. doctrines, repeat verbatim his sermon on the mount, hold up the same golden rule, apply and enforce it, utter the same terrible woes against Phariseeism, hypocrisy, and self-right- eousness, as a ground of justification, and were he to declare himself, as he did then, " one with the Father," and that " he that hateth me, hateth my Father also," " I am the resur- rection and the life ; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall be live/' were he, the Holy One, to go through the length and breadth of our land, proclaiming such truths, he would find the natural, unregenerate heart just what it was more than eighteen hundred years ago in Judea. But in no section of our country would he find a more perfectly organized system of opposition, a more thoroughly trained band of opposers, who, in the pride of their hearts, would scoff and sneer, and bid defiance to all the humbling doctrines of his glorious cross, than in the cities of Boston and New York ; and the very class of citizens that would be found first and foremost to deride him, spit upon him, smite him with the palms of their hands, mock him, and raise the cry of "Away with him ! crucify him ! crucify him !" would be that very class who are loudest and longest in their bitter curses and denunciations against their Southern brethren ; and that in no part of the country would the Saviour meet with less oppo- sition, or meet with fewer difficulties, in holding up the golden rule, applying it, or enforcing it, than in the Southern Slave States. THESE ARE THE DEEP CONVICTIONS OF MY HEART. 2*9 BRIGHT PROSPECTS OPENING TO THE AFRICAN RACE. THAT we may the better see and understand this subject, and know who are the most reliable friends of Africa, and who are taking the broadest and most scriptural views of this great subject of African slavery, and of God's curse resting upon the world in its varied forms, we ask attention to the following extracts, gathered from documents of un- doubted authority. From these we may learn that the real friends of the slave, who are laying the broadest foundations of the African's glory, are not among the noisy theorists and visionary reformers who are always quarrelling with the providences of God, and cursing their fellow-men, because they cannot perform impossibilities ; but are to be found among practical men men of far-reaching views. And believing, as they do, that this curse will be removed, and that poor, bleeding, down-trodden Africa will one day be Christianised and elevated to take her stand among the great powers of the earth, they are aiming to turn the curse of slavery into a blessing, by educating and Christianising the slave, and pre- paring for him an asylum upon his own native soil, to which, in a few years, the rush of emigration may be equal to that of Ireland to the United States. THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA, ON THE WESTERN COAST OF AFRICA, is the child of many prayers, the hope of millions, and the bright star that points to the redemption of that race. God has blessed her ; is now blessing her ; and will 250 TREASURED MOMENTS. continue to bless her, till all the sable eons of Ham shall be brought into that liberty wherewith Christ makes his people free. Instead, therefore, of fretting and scolding, and working ourselves into a passion, about a thing we cannot help, let us, as Christians, study the Scriptures, which show us a more excellent way, and set about some practical thing. The following papers point to that thing. Let us read and understand ; read and believe ; read with faith, hope, and charity, and with many prayers for the slave and his master, for Liberia and for Africa. And let the Christian "cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils ;" have no confidence in the flesh, and no trust in any being, or in any means, for reforming the world, or removing any of its evils, save God and his blessed gospel. 251 SKETCHES OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA. BY. J. W. LUGENBEEL, LATE COLONIAL PHYSICIAN AND IT. S. AGENT IN LIBERIA. CHAPTER I. GEOGEAPHY. THAT portion of the western coast of Africa which has received the appellation of Liberia, embraces a tract of country included between the parallels of 4 deg. 20 min. and 7 deg. 20 min. north latitude, extending from the Sherbro river on the north (near the southern boundary of the British colony of Sierra Leone) to the Pedro river on the south ; a distance along the coast of about six hundred miles. The political jurisdiction of the Republic of Liberia embraces about five hundred miles of this territory : that of the colony of " Maryland, in Liberia," embraces about one hundred miles, to the north and east of Cape Palmas. All the territory which lies between these two points (except two or three small tracts) has been purchased from the original proprietors and rightful owners of the soil. The first tract was purchased in the early part of ]822, embracing a small extent of territory in the vicinity of Cape Mesurado. Other portions have, at different times, been purchased, the greater part within the last few years. The interior boundaries of the purchased tracts extend from about ten to forty miles from the coast. These boundaries may readily be extended as far as may be desirable, as the interior tribes are generally very willing, and some of them anxious, to sell their territories. In no instance have the natives, from whom the land was purchased, been required to remove their residences, or to 252 TREASURED MOMENTS. abandon their usual customs, except that of trading in slaves, and the practice of such superstitious rites or ceremonies as tend to deprive any of their fellow-beings of life. And in all the written contracts which have been entered into between the agents of the Colonization Society, or the authorities of the Republic, and the native chiefs, the latter have invariably obligated themselves, in behalf of the people over whom they presided, to conform to the laws and regulations of the Liberian Government. As in most other countries similarly situated, the land in the immediate vicinity of the ocean in Liberia is generally low, and in some places it is very marshy. There are some elevated spots, however, such as those on which the towns of Monrovia and Harper are located. The land generally becomes more elevated towards the interior, and in some places, within fifty miles of the coast, it is quite mountainous. Far as the eye can reach from the highest points of land in the vicinity of the ocean, the whole country presents the appearance of a deep, unbroken forest, with hill-top rising above hill-top towards the vast interior, the country consisting, not as is supposed by some persons, of arid plains and burning sands, but of hills and valleys, covered with the verdure of perpetual spring. The country is well watered ; many beau- tiful streams may be seen winding their way amidst blooming flowers and wild shrubbeiy, and many cooling springs of clear, sparkling water invite the weary traveller to linger and quench his thirst. In all the settlements of Liberia, good water can be procured without much difficulty ; and though, in the dry season, as in this country after a long dry spell in summer, some of the springs fail for a time, yet as good water can always be obtained by digging wells, and as many of the springs never fail, there need not be any fear about getting plenty of good water at any time in the year. SOIL. The soil of Liberia, like that of other countries, varies in appearance, quality, and productiveness. That of the uplands, though generally much inferior to that of the AMERICAN SLAVERY. 253 lowlands, is better adapted to some articles. The upland soil usually consists of a reddish clay, more or less mixed with soft ' rocks and stones, containing considerable quantities of iron. That of the lowlands, in the immediate vicinity of the ocean, consists principally of sand. Besides this sandy soil, there are two other varieties of lowland soil, one of which is that on the banks of the rivers, within a few miles of the sea; this consists of a loose, deep, black mould, which is peculiarly adapted to the growth of those kinds of vegetables that thrive best during the dry season. The other variety is that which is generally found extending back from the banks of the rivers, farther from the sea than the last named ; this con- sists of a light-coloured clay, more or less tempered with sand, and it is well adapted to almost every kind of vegetables that will thrive in tropical climates. RIVERS. There are no very large rivers in Liberia ; and, although some of them are from one-fourth to three-fourths of a mile wide, for fifty miles or more from their entrance into the ocean, yet none of them are navigable to a greater dis- tance than twenty miles ; the navigation being obstructed by rapids. The St. Paul's, the St. John's, and the Juuk, are the largest ; and, indeed, they are the only rivers of any con- siderable length or width. The other principal rivers are the Gallinas, the Cape Mount, the Mechlin, the New Cess, the Grand Cess, the Sanguin, the Sinou, and the Grand Sesters. Some of these present a bold appearance at their mouths ; but they are all comparatively short ; and none of them are navigable for boats, or even for canoes, more than twenty or thirty miles, without obstruction by rocks or rapids. The St. Paul's river is a beautiful stream of water. It is three-fourths of a mile wide at the widest part (at Caldwell), and about three-eighths of a mile wide at Millsburg, about fourteen miles from its mouth. The banks of this river rise from ten to twenty feet above the water ; and, except in places that have been cleared, they are covered with large forest trees ; among which may be seen 254 TREASURED MOMENTS. the graceful palm, rearing aloft its green-tufted head, and standing in all its pride and beauty, the ornament and the glory of its native land. The St. Paul's is perhaps the longest river in Liberia. It is studded with many beautiful islands, abounding in camwood, palm, and many other valuable forest trees ; and its banks furnish many beautiful sites for residences. Many native hamlets may be seen on the banks of this lovely river the homes of the untutored children of the forest the benighted sons and daughters of Africa. The St Paul's bifurcates about three miles from its mouth : the principal stream rolls on towards the ocean, while the other fork flows in a south-easterly direction, almost parallel with the beach, and unites with the little Mesurado river near its mouth ; and thus an island is formed, about eight miles long, and from one to two in width, called Bushrod Island. This latter fork of the river is called Stockton Creek, in honour of Com. Stockton, who kindly aided in effecting the first purchase of territory. The St. John's river is also a beautiful stream. It is about sixty miles south-east of the St. Paul's ; and it flows through that part of Liberia known as the Grand Bassa country. At the widest point, it is nearly or quite a mile wide. Its length, however, is supposed to be less than that of the St. Paul'a The St John's is also studded with numerous islands ; the largest of which is Factory Island, about three miles from its mouth. The banks of this river also rise considerably above the water ; and the land bordering on it is also very pro- ductive. The Junk river, which is about equidistant from the other two named rivers, is the third in size and importance. The main branch is supposed to be equal in length to the St John's. The northern branch, which is only about forty miles long, is noted as a thoroughfare between Monrovia and Marshall. At the place of embarkation, a few miles below its source, it is not more than five yards wide; but it gradually expands to the width of more than half a mile. AMERICAS SLATER*. 255 The appearance of the country along the banks of these rivers, and of the numerous little Mauds which they form, is highly picturesque. The hanks of the St. Paul's and the St John's, in many places,, present encouraging scenes of agricultural industry; showing the handiwork of a people, whose social condition is Yaetty superior to that of their aboriginal neighboars ; and who are thus placing before the indolent and improvident natives illustrations of the great superiority of the habits of civilised people to their own degrading customs; examples which must eventually exert a powerful influence on the minds aad practice of the contiguous native tribes. And thus, while the mind of the traveller is oppressed bj the melancholy consideration of the moral and mtffaftotal darkness of the scattered tribes of *"""? beings, whose deso- late-looking hamlets frequently meet his view, as he wends hk war amidst the Asy firosfg if tho mrp|tiwfo^i hilbainl nfriln of Africa, he is encouraged to before that the time will come when this extensive "wilderness shall lie made glad" by the labours of industrious agriculturists, and. wiaen ifl* TMJJ dewrtafirteDecfe^andmonlde SETTLEMESTS. The principal inlllrimiilii in of Liberia are : Monrovia, Mew Georgia, CaMwefl, Vi Kentucky, IQlsbarg, Marshall, Effina, Greenville, largest- and oldest of all the of tteSt Parfa river into the in the rear of Cape The IfrjU* ni : -- __ :i -i-;! -\, :.-. --1- ^- --:.:. i- i,;,- .;, 256 TREASUKED MOMENTS. centre, is about eighty feet above the level of the ocean, and about three-fourths of a mile from the summit of the cape, which is about two hundred and fifty feet above the sea. Cape Mesurado is a bold promontory, covered with massive forest trees and dense undergrowth, except in places that have been cleared. On the summit of the cape is a light-house and a fort; and along the sloping declivity, towards the town, there are several cleared lots, on which small "houses have been erected ; in some places affording very pleasant places of residence. The greater part of the promontory, however, is very rocky. The course of the coast north of the cape forms a kind of bay, which generally affords safe anchorage for vessels ; and the cove, near the base of the cape, affords as good a landing on the beach as can be found on almost any other part of the coast. The town of Monrovia, although more compact than any of the other settlements in Liberia, occupies a considerable extent of ground ; being about three-fourths of a mile in length. It is laid off with as much regularity as the location will allow ; and the streets, of which there are about fifteen in number, have received regular names. The town is divided into lots of one-fourth of an acre, and most of the dwelling- houses have a lot attached to each of them. Most of the lo t s and several of the streets, are adorned with various tropical fruit trees ; and some of the gardens present a handsome appearance. The houses are generally one story or a story and a half high : some are two full stories. Many of them are substantially built of stone or brick ; and some of the best houses are built partly of both these materials. The state- house is a large stone building, which was erected in 1843 In the rear of this building, is a substantial stone prison. There are three commodious stone houses for public worship in the town Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian ; nearly all of the professing Christians in the place being attached to one of these religious denominations. At the base of the hill on which stands the principal AMERICAN SLAVERY. 257 dwelling-houses, there are several large stone buildings, which are occupied as stores and warehouses. The dwellings of many of the citizens of Monrovia are not only comfortably, but elegantly, aud some of them richly furnished ; and some of the residents of this little bustling metropolis live in a style of ease and affluence, which does not comport with the con- tracted views of those persons who regard a residence in Africa as necessarily associated with the almost entire privation of the good things of this life. The population is about fifteen hundred, exclusive of native children and youths who reside ' in the families of the citizens. New Georgia is a small township, located on the eastern side of Stockton Creek, about five miles from Monrovia. It is occupied principally by native Africans, who were formerly slaves. Upwards of two hundred of the liberated Africans who have been, or who now are, residents of New Georgia, were sent to Liberia by the United States Government, at different times. Many of these have married persons who were born in the United States ; and have thereby become more strongly identified with the Liberians, as citizens of the Republic. Some of them are partially educated ; and, a few years ago, one of them occupied a seat in the Legislature. As most of the citizens of New Georgia have taken the oath of allegiance, they are permitted to enjoy equal immunities with other citizens. Caldwell is situated on the southern side of the St. Paul's river. The whole settlement, which is divided for convenience into Upper and Lower Caldwell, is about six miles in length, extending along the bank of the river ; the nearest part to Monrovia being about nine miles distant. The houses are from one hundred yards to a quarter of a mile, or more, apart ; and, of course, this settlement has not much the appearance of a town. Some of the most enterprising farmers in, Liberia reside at this place. The land about Caldwell is generally remarkably productive. Virginia, or New Virginia, as it is sometimes called, is a new R 258 TREASURED MOMENTS. settlement, commenced in the early part of 1846. It is also on the St. Paul's river, opposite CaldwelL This is the site of the United States receptacle for liberated Africans, erected in 1847. Kentucky is an agricultural settlement between Virginia and Millsburg, on the northern bank of the St. Paul's river, commenced a few years ago. Millsburg is the farthest settlement from the sea-coast of any in Liberia. It is situated on the northern bank of the St. Paul's river, about fourteen miles from its mouth and about twenty miles from Monrovia. Like the other farming settlements, the houses generally are separated at a con- siderable distance from one another ; so that the whole township extends about a mile and a half along the bank of the river. Millsburg is perhaps the most beautiful and one of the most healthy locations in Liberia. The land is remarkably good, and of easy cultivation. A flourishing female academy is in operation at this place, under the care of Mrs. "Wilkins, missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church. And, on the opposite side of the river is White Plains, a mission station of the same church. Besides these settlements, there are numerous other points along the St. Paul's river, which are occupied by farmers ; so that the banks of this beautiful stream present, in many places, the appearance of agricultural industry and comfort. Marshall is situated at the mouth of the Junk river, about thirty-five miles south of Monrovia. Most of the houses in this place are built along the sea-shore. This place is particularly noted for the manufacture of lime ; which is obtained altogether from oyster and other shells. Most of the lime 'that is used in Liberia is made in the vicinity of Marshall. The river at this place abounds in oysters ; and though they are not quite equal to those procured in some parts of the United States, yet they are quite palatable, when properly served up. Edina is located on the northern bank of the St. John's river, about half a mile from its mouth. It is handsomely AMERICAN SLAVERY. 259 situated ; and, in reference to the healthiness of the location, it is perhaps equal to most others in Liberia. Some of the citizens of Edina are engaged in the cultivation of exportable articles of produce. Buchanan is located at the junction of the Benson river (a small stream) with the St. John's, nearly opposite Edina. Several of the citizens of this place also have given considerable attention to the cultivation of coffee, arrow-root, and ginger, during the last few years. A steam saw-mill, introduced in 1851, is in successful operation at this place. A new settlement has recently been formed at the site of the one destroyed by Grando, a native chief, and his allies, in November, 1851, near Fish Town, a native village, about three miles below the mouth of the St. John's river. Bexley is situated on the northern side of the St. John's river, about six miles from its mouth. Tliis place, like the settlements on the St. Paul's river, occupies a considerable extent of territory. It is divided into Upper and Lower Bexley ; both together extending about four miles along the river. Bexley is a fine farming settlement ; the land is excellent ; and the location is comparatively healthy. Several of the citizens of this place are pretty actively engaged in cultivating articles for exportation. This is certainly one of the most interesting settlements in Liberia. The mission of the Baptist Board of Foreign Missions is located at this place ; also the head-quarters of the Southern Baptist Mission. Greenville is situated at the mouth of the Sinou river, about one hundred and thirty miles by sea south-east of Monrovia. Like the settlement of Marshall, most of the houses are located along the sea-shore. Greenville presents a handsome appear- ance from the anchorage. It is one of the most healthy settlements in Liberia. The laud in the immediate vicinity of Greenville, and indeed of all the other settlements near the sea-shore, is much inferior to that on the banks of the rivers several miles from their entrance into the ocean. Con- sequently, those persons who expect to live by " the sweat of R 2 260 TREASURED MOMENTS. their brow," in the cultivation of the soil, will find it greatly to their advantage to locate beyond the sound of the breaking surf of the ocean. A steam saw-mill is in operation at this settlement the first one introduced into Liberia. Readsville, Lexington, and Louisiana, are farming settle- ments on or near the Sinou river, from two to five miles above Greenville. In every settlement, there is one place, or more, of public worship, in which religious services are regularly held. And, in nearly every settlement, there is one regular day and Sunday school, or more. The principal deficiency in the system of education in Liberia consists in the inability to procure the services of a sufficient number of competent teachers. There are several very good schools at Monrovia and some of the other settlements; but the facilities for thorough intellectual training are not commensurate with the wants of the people in all the settlements. As the census has not been taken for several years, I cannot give the exact population of the different settlements, and the exact aggregate population of the Republic. The whole num- ber of inhabitants of the Republic, exclusive of the natives, is probably, at present, about seven thousand. The native popu- lation is probably about two hundred thousand ; many of whom have adopted habits of civilised life ; and many of the youth of both sexes have enjoyed, or are enjoying, advantages of education. MARYLAND IN LIBERIA. The colony of Maryland in Liberia, which has always maintained a distinctive character, and which has always been under a different government from the Republic of Liberia, was established in the early part of the year 1834*. Ever since that period, it has continued to progress in interest and importance ; and, at present, it occu- pies a prominent position, as an asylum for the proscribed descendants of Ham ; to whom the siren song of " My Native Land " loses its mellowing cadence in the thrilling, patriotic sound of " Sweet land of liberty." AMERICAN SLAVERY. 261 This interesting colony is located about two hundred and fifty miles by sea south-east from Monrovia. Harper, the principal town or settlement, is situated near the point of the Cape (Cape Palmas, a bold projecting promontory, which is one of the most prominent points or land-marks on the western coast of Africa) ; and, from the anchorage, it presents a handsome appearance. At the distance of about half a mile from Harper is the town of East Harper, in which are several beautiful sites for residences, commanding a fine view of the ocean, and of the adjacent hills and vales. Between these two villages, there are two large native towns, comprising several hundred houses, which present a marked contrast with the com- fortable-looking dwellings of the colonists. At the distance of about two and a half miles beyond East Harper is another settlement, called Tubmantown. Most of the land near the road between these two villages is occupied by the colonists ; so that on both sides of this highway, many neat little cottages may be seen, and many handsome gardens and small farms. The whole population of Maryland in Liberia, exclusive of aborigines, is about one thousand. CHAPTER II. CLIMATE AND SEASONS. The territory of Liberia being within a few degrees of the equator, of course the nature of the climate is essentially different from that of the United States ; the vicissitudes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter not being experienced in the equatorial regions of the earth ; there being continued summer weather throughout the year, interrupted only by occasional slight variations in the thermometrical state of the atmosphere, caused by the greater strength of the ordinary breezes, and by clouds and rain ; which latter prevail so much more during one half of the year than during the other half, as to give rise to the usually recognised division of the year into two seasons the wet or rainy season, and the dry season; or, in common parlance, "the rains" and 262 TREASURED MOMENTS. " the dries ; " the fonner of which answers nearly to summer and autumn, and the latter to winter and spring, in temperate latitudes. This unqualified and somewhat arbitrary division of the year, however, has led many persons into error, respecting the real state of the weather, during these two seasons ; some supposing that, during the rainy season, more or less rain falls every day ; and, on the other hand, during the dry season, an uninterrupted spell of hot and dry weather prevails for six successive months. This is so far from being the case, that, as a general rule, it may be stated, that some rain falls in every month in the year ; and, in every month, there is some fine, clear, pleasant weather. During my residence in Liberia, I seldom observed a deviation from this general rule. Much more rain, however, falls during the six months beginning with May, than during the remaining six months beginning with November. It is difficult, however, to determine at what time each of the two seasons actually commences and closes. As a general rule, I think the middle of May may be set down as the beginning of the rainy season, and the middle of November that of the dry season. In order, however, to give an accurate and comprehensive statement of the character of the climate and seasons of Liberia, it may be the best plan to note the vicissitudes of each month in the year, as they are usually presented. January is usually the driest and one of the warmest months in the year. Sometimes, during this month, no rain at all falls; but generally there are occasional slight showers, particularly at night. Were it not for the sea-breeze, which prevails with almost uninterrupted regularity through the greater part of the day, on almost every day throughout the year, the weather would be exceedingly oppressive, during the first three or four months of the year. As it is, the oppres- siveness of the rays of the tropical sun is greatly mitigated by the cooling breezes from the ocean ; which usually blow from about 10 o'clock a.m. to about 10 p.m., the land-breeze occu- AMERICAN SLAVERY. 263 pying the remainder of the night and morning ; except for an hour or two about the middle of the night, and about an hour in the forenoon. During these intervals, the atmosphere is sometimes very oppressive. The regularity of the sea-breeze, especially in the month of January, is sometimes interrupted by the longer continuance of the land-breeze, which occasion- ally does not cease blowing until 2 or 3 o'clock p.m. This is what is called the harmattcin wind ; about which a great deal has been written, but which does not generally fully accord with the forced descriptions of hasty observers or copyists. The principal peculiarity of the harmattan wind consists in its drying properties, and its very sensible coolness, especially early in the morning. It seldom, perhaps never, continues the whole day ; and usually not much longer than the ordinary land-breeze, at other times in the year. When this wind blows pretty strongly, the leaves and covers of books sometimes curl, as if they had been placed near a fire ; the seams of furniture and of wooden vessels sometimes open considerably, and the skin of persons sometimes feels peculiarly dry and unpleasant, in consequence of the rapid evaporation of both the sensible and the insensible perspiration. But these effects are usually by no means so great as they have been represented to be. What is generally called the harmattan season usually com- mences about the middle of December, and continues until the latter part of February. During this time, especially in the month of January, the atmosphere has a smoky appear- ance, similar to what is termed Indian summer in the United States, but generally more hazy. The average height of the mercury in the thermometer during the month of January is about 85 deg. It seldom varies more than ten degrees during the twenty-four hours of the day ; and usually it does not vary" more than four degrees between the hours of 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. In this month, however, I have seen the mercury stand at the lowest mark at which I ever observed it in Liberia, that is, at 264 TREASURED MOMENTS. 68 deg. This was early in the morning, during the prevalence of a strong and very cool land-breeze. In this month I have also seen the mercury stand at the highest mark, at which I ever observed it that is, at 90 deg. The air is sometimes uncomfortably cool before 8 o'clock a.m., during this month. During the month of February, the weather is generally similar to that of January. There are, however, usually more frequent showers of rain ; and sometimes, towards the close of this month, slight tornadoes are experienced. The har- mattan haze generally disappears about the last of this month ; and the atmosphere becomes clear. The range of the thermometer is about the same as in January. March is perhaps the most trying month in the year to the constitutions of new-comers. The atmosphere is usually very oppressive during this month, the sun being nearly vertical. The occasional showers of rain, and the slight tornadoes, which occur in this month, do not usually mitigate the oppressiveness of the atmosphere, as might be supposed. The variation in the state of the atmosphere, as indicated by the thermometer, seldom exceeds 6 deg. during the whole of this month. The average height of the mercury is about 85 deg. April is significantly called the " tornado month," the most numerous and most violent tornadoes usually occurring during this month. The ordinary state of the weather in reference to the degree of heat, and its influence on the system, is not very- different from that of the three preceding months. The showers of rain are usually more frequent, however ; and the visitations of those peculiar gusts, called tornadoes, are much more common in April, than in any other month. These are sudden and sometimes violent gusts, which occur much more frequently at night, than during the day. Although they usually approach suddenly and rapidly, yet certain premonitory evidences of their approach are almost always presented, which are generally easily recognised by persons who have frequently observed them. They generally commence from north-east or east-north-east, and rapidly AMERICAN SLAVERY. 265 shift around to nearly south-east ; by which time the storm is at its height. At the commencement of a tornado, dark clouds appear above the eastern horizon, which rapidly ascend, until a dense, lurid-looking mass spreads over the whole hemisphere. As the heavy mass of clouds ascends and spreads, the roaring sound of the wind becomes stronger and louder, until suddenly it bursts forth in its fury ; sometimes seeming as if it would sweep away every opposing object. Very seldom, however, is any material injury sustained from these violent gusts. The scene is sometimes awfully grand, for fifteen or twenty minutes during the formation and continuance of a heavy tor- nado. Sometimes the whole hemisphere presents a scene of the deepest gloom ; the darkness of which is momentarily illuminated by vivid flashes of lightning in rapid succession ; and sometimes tremendous peals of thunder burst upon the solemn stillness of the scene. The rain seldom falls until the violence of the gust begins to subside ; when a torrent usually pours down for a short time, seldom more than half- an-hour ; after which, the wind shifts around towards the west ; and generally, in about an hour from the commence- ment of the tornado, the sky becomes serene, and sometimes almost cloudless. The weather during the month of May is usually more pleasant than in the two preceding months. The atmosphere is generally not quite so warm and oppressive. Sometimes copious and protracted showers of rain fall, during the latter half of this month. Tornadoes also occasionally appear in the month of May. The average height of the mercury in the thermometer is usually two or three degrees less than during the four preceding months. June is perhaps the most rainy month in the year. More or less rain usually falls nearly every day or night in this month. Although there are sometimes clear and pleasant days in June, yet there are seldom twenty-four successive hours of entire freedom from rain. The sun is, however, 266 TREASURED MOMENTS. seldom entirely obscured for a week at a time; and he frequently shines out brightly and pleasantly in the inter- stices between the floating clouds, several times during the day; occasionally for several hours at a time. During this mnntlij as in all the other rainy months;, more rain always tails at night than in the daytime ; and, indeed, there are very few days in the year in which the use of an umbrella may not be dispensed with some time during the ordinary business hours. In the month of June, the atmosphere is always' considerably cooler than in the preceding months ; and I generally found it necessary to wear woollen outer as well as under garments, and to deep beneath thick covering at night, in order to be comfortably warm. The sensible perspiration is always much less daring this month, and the five succeeding months, than during the other six months in the year. The mercury in the thermometer seldom rises above 80 deg. in this month ; the average height being about 75 deg. Daring the months of July and August, a great deal of rain also generally falls ; but perhaps less in both these months than in the preceding one. There is always a short season of comparatively dry and very pleasant weather, in one or both of these months. This season usually continues from three to five weeks; and generally commences about the 20th or 25th of July. Sometimes for several successive days, the son shines brilliantly and pleasantly all day, and no rain falls at night The air, however, is always refreshingly cool and agreeable. This is perhaps the most pleasant time in the year. This is what is commonly called "the middle dries." It seems as if Providence has specially ordered this temporary cessation of the rains, for the purpose of permitting the ripening and gathering of the crops of rice, which are generally harvested in August September and October are also generally very rainy months ; especially the former. Sometimes more rain falls in September than in any other month in the year. Towards the close of October, the rain begins to be less copious ; and sometimes AMERICAN SLAVERY. 267 slight tornadoes appear, indicative of the cessation of the rainy season. The sea-breezes are usually very strong daring these two months ; and the atmosphere is generally uniformly cool and invigorating to the physical system. During the month of November, the weather is generally very pleasant, the temperature of the atmosphere being agreeable to the feelings not so cool as during the five preceding months, and not so warm as during the five or six succeeding ones ; the average height of the mercury in the thermometer being about 82 deg. Frequent showers of rain usually fall in this month, both in the day and at night ; but generally they are of short duration. Slight tornadoes also generally appear in this month. The SOD. may usually be seen a part of every day in the month ; and frequently he is not obscured by clouds during the whole of the time in -winch he is above the horizon, December is also generally a very pleasant month. Occa- sional slight showers of rain fell during this month, sometimes several sprinklings in one day, but fridom for more than a few minutes at a time. The Tnmrningff in this month are peculiarly delightful. The sun usually rises with brilliancy and beauty ; and the hills and groves, fawning with the ver- dure of perpetual spring, are enriched by the mingled melody of a thousand cheerful songsters. Nothing that I have ever witnessed in the United States exceeds the loveliness of a December morning m TJhrrhi On the whole, I regard the climate of Liberia as decidedly pleasant ; notwithstanding the scorching rays of the tropical sun, and the "abundance of rain" which Mis during the year, especially in die months of June, July, September, and Octo- ber. So for as the pleasantness of the dimate and weather is concerned, I would decidedly prefer a residence in Liberia to one in any part of the United States. The extremes of the thermometrical state of the afanosphere may be set down at 65 deg. and 90 deg. I have never heard of the mercury in a good thermometer having sunk below the 268 TREASURED MOMENTS. former, nor arisen above the latter point, in the shade. The average height of the mercury, during the rainy season, may be set down at about 76 deg., and during the dry season at 84 deg. The mean temperature for the year is about 80 deg. In regard to the comparative healthiness of the two seasons, I may state, that my observations fully convinced me, that the rainy season is more conducive to health than the dry season, in both new-comers and old settlers. In reference, however, to the acclimating process, I think that no great advantage can be gained by arriving at any particular time of the year, more than at any other time. Unnecessary exposure to the heat of the sun in the dry season, and to the rain in the wet season, should alike be avoided. Care and prudence should be exercised by new-comers at all times during the year. CHAPTER III. PRODUCTIONS. Nearly all the different kinds of grain, roots, and fruits, peculiar to intertropical climates, thrive well in Liberia ; and many garden vegetables that belong more properly to tem- perate climates may be raised, in quality not much" inferior to the same kind of articles produced in climates peculiarly adapted to their growth and maturation. The only kind of grain, however, that has yet been culti- vated to any considerable extent is rice, which is the great staple of intertropical Africa, and the principal article of food of the numerous aboriginal inhabitants. It is also used extensively by the Liberians. And it is undoubtedly the most wholesome article of food which can be used in that country. It is not cultivated very extensively by the Liberians, in consequence of their being able generally to purchase it more cheaply from the natives than the cultivation of it would cost. In conse- quence, however, of the increasing demand, it has, of late years, commanded a better price than formerly; which has induced some of the citizens to engage in raising it. Until AMERICAN SLAVERY. 2C9 within the last few years, scarcely any persons attempted to raise it ; but at present this valuable grain may be seen grow- ing in the neighbourhood of several of the settlements in Liberia. Although it grows much better in low, wet land ; yet it thrives very well in land more elevated, such as will produce most other articles usually cultivated. It is generally sown in April, and harvested in August. Sometimes two crops may be made in one year ; but generally only one is made. It yields so abundantly, that, notwithstanding the extreme indolence of the natives, who do not work on their farms three months in the year, they usually raise much more than they require. Indian corn, or maize, will grow very well on some lands in Liberia ; and although it does not thrive so well as in some parts of the United States, yet I am quite satisfied that it might be cultivated much more extensively in Liberia than it ever yet has been. I have seen some fine, large ears of corn that were raised qn the St. Paul's river. The small-grained corn, usually called Guinea-corn, no doubt will grow well in Liberia (Guinea, whence its name), but, strange to say, I seldom saw it growing there. The natives in the vicinity of the settle- ments seldom, if ever, raise it. A variety of esculent roots may be raised in Liberia ; the most common of which are the sweet potato, cassada, yam, and tania. Sweet potatoes may be raised in great abundance, with very- little labour, on almost every kind of land, at any time during the year. I have seen them growing freely in the sandy soil, within fifty yards of the ocean. The poorest persons may easily have a sufficiency of this nutritious vegetable. Those raised in some parts of Liberia are very fine. They generally thrive better in the rainy season, especially on the high lands ; but, in some places, they thrive very well in the dry season, especially on the flat land bordering on the rivers ; and, in many places, they may be gathered during every month in the year, from the same piece of land 270 TREASURED MOMENTS. The Cassada (as it is usually called, but perhaps more pro- perly cassava) is a shrub, which grows from four to eight feet in height, having several white fleshy roots, covered with a coarse, rough skin. The stem of the shrub is round and jointed, having numerous branches, which are furnished at the upper part with alternate leaves, divided into three, five, or seven acute lobes. The root, which is the only part that is used, arrives at perfection in from nine to fifteen months. The roots vary in size, from six to eighteen inches in length, and from three to eight in circumference. In taste, when not cooked, it very much resembles the taste of a fresh chestnut. This vegetable may be raised abundantly, on any kind of soil. It is the only vegetable, except rice, that is cultivated to any extent by the natives. It is usually prepared for use by being boiled, after the skin or rind has been removed, or by being roasted in ashes ; and, when properly cooked, it is very palat- able and nutritious. The tapioca of the shops is the fecula of the root of the cassada. The Yam is a slender, herbaceous vine, having large tuber- ous roots, sometimes nearly round, but generally elongated, like the cassada, but much larger. The roots of the yam are sometimes three feet long, and weigh twenty or thirty pounds. They usually arrive at perfection in four or five months ; and they yield very abundantly. The root of the yam is more farinaceous or mealy, when cooked, than that of the cassada almost as much so as the Irish potato. They are more digestible than the cassada, and I think more palatable. The yam is one of the most wholesome and nutritious esculent roots of any country ; and it may be produced in any desired quantity in Liberia. Tania is a delicate, broad-leafed plant, about two feet in height, having a bulbous root, which, when prepared like Irish potatoes, resembles those excellent vegetables very nearly in taste ; and it is a very wholesome and nutritious article of food. It may be raised easily and abundantly. There are other esculent roots, peculiar to tropical climates, AMERICAN SLAVERY. 271 which have not yet been introduced ; but which, no doubt, would thrive well in Liberia. I have alluded particularly to those only which have been introduced, and which are culti- vated there ; those which I have seen and eaten myself. And, in addition to those articles to which I have alluded, I may name a few other garden vegetables, that I have seen growing in Liberia : the most common of which are, Lima or butter beans, snap beans, black-eyed peas, cabbage, tomatoes, cucum- bers, water-melons, pumpkins, musk-melons, cantelopes, beets, radishes, and carrots. Lima beans may be raised abundantly, at any time during the year. In consequence of the absence of frost, the vines live and bear for several years ; and as the beans are being continually reproduced, they may be gathered from the same vines during every month in the year, and for three, four, five, or more, successive years. The vines yield in a few months after the planting of the bean, so that no family ought ever to be without this excellent vegetable. They are equal to those raised in any part of the United States. Black-eyed peas may be raised in any necessary quantities. They come to maturity in about six weeks from the time of planting ; and they may be raised at any time during the year. Cabbages do not thrive so well in Liberia as they generally do in the United States that is, they do not prodvfce so fine heads. They grow very rapidly ; and sometimes the stalk attains the height of several feet. They do not generally go to seed. When, however, good seed can be procured from other countries, and proper attention is given to the cultivation of the cabbage, fine, large, tender heads may sometimes be produced. Tomatoes may be easily raised ; and, when the seed is procured from abroad, the fruit is large and well-flavoured ; equal to the produce of most other countries. Cucumbers Vill perhaps thrive as well in Liberia as in any other country. 272 TREASURED MOMENTS. Water-melons thrive as well in some parts of Liberia as in most parts of the United States ; especially when good seed can be procured from abroad. Some as fine water-melons as I ever saw were raised in the vicinity of Monrovia. So far as I could learn, the best time to plant the seed is in March or April. All the other articles that I have enumerated, and several other garden vegetables, that seem to belong more properly to temperate climates, may be raised in Liberia without any difficulty, if the seed can be obtained from those countries to which these vegetables seem to be peculiarly adapted. Hence, the necessity of importing seeds, if persons wish to have American vegetables on African tables. And here ~I would particularly recommend to persons who intend to emigrate to Liberia, to take with them a variety of garden seeds. And, in order to protect them from being injured by the salt air of the ocean, I would advise that they should be sealed up in vials or bottles ; or wrapped in paper, and packed away in sawdust. A great variety of fruits is raised in Liberia, many of which are indigenous. The principal fruits are, the orange, lime, lemon, pine-apple, guava, mango, plantain, banana, okra, papaw, cocoanut, tamarind, pomegranate, granadilla, African cherry, African peach, soursop, sweetsop, sorrel, cacao, rose apple, and chiota. The orange tree thrives as well, perhaps, and bears as fine fruit in Liberia as in any other part of the world. The tree, when full-grown, is about the size of ordinary apple-trees in the United States, but much more handsome. One tree usually bears as many oranges as an apple-tree of the same size bears apples. Although ripe oranges may be procured at any time of the year, yet there are two seasons at which they are more plentiful than at other times. One season is about the middle of the year, and the other about the close of the year. It is not uncommon to see blossoms, buds, young fruit, and full-grown fruit on the same tree, at the same time ; so AMERICAN SLAVERY. 273 that while some of the oranges are ripening, others are being produced In the town of Monrovia, many orange-trees may be seen adorning the sides of the streets, as well as in the yards and gardens of the citizens. Limes and lemons are in superabundance in nearly every settlement in Liberia. Pine-apples grow wild in the woods in great abundance ; and, when allowed to ripen before being pulled, they are very finely flavoured. The apple grows out of the centre of a small stalk, one or two feet high, and it is surrounded by prickly pointed leaves or branches. I have seen thousands of them in half an hour's walk. They are considerably improved by cultivation in good, rich land. They are not, however, a wholesome fruit, although very palatable ; and many persons have made themselves sick by eating them too freely. Guavas grow very abundantly, on trees about the size of ordinary peach-trees. This fruit resembles the apricot in appearance, but not in taste. It is not very palatable when uncooked ; though some persons are very fond of it. It, how- ever, makes the best preserves and the best pies of any fruit with which I am acquainted. The guava jelly, which is almost universally regarded as a very delicious article, is made from this fruit. Though I believe the guava tree is not indigenous to Liberia, yet it grows so luxuriantly as to become a source of much inconvenience in some places. The mango (or mango-plum, as it is usually called in Liberia) also thrives well. It is the product of a handsome tree, about the size of an ordinary apple-tree. The fruit is about the size of an ordinary apple, but oval or egg-shaped. In taste it approaches more nearly to the American peach than any other tropical fruit I ever ate. The mango makes very superior preserves. The plantain is a beautiful, broad-leaved, tender, fibrous stalk, that grows to the height of from eight to fourteen feet. The leaves, which are the continuation of the fibrous layers of the soft, herbaceous stalk, are generally about six feet long, and s 274 TREASURED MOMENTS. from one to three feet broad. The fruit-stem proceeds from the heart of the stalk ; and when full grown it is about three feet long, and beautifully curved, extending about two feet beyond the cluster of fruit, and terminating in a singular and beautiful purple bulb, formed of numerous tender layers, that can be easily separated. One stalk produces only one cluster or bunch of fruit ; and when this is removed by cutting the stem, the stalk dies ; but scions spring up from the original root around the old stock, and in a few months these also bear fruit, and then die, giving place to other new stalks. So that, in two or three years from the time of the first planting, the number of stalks and bunches of fruit will be increased six- fold or more. The venerable parent -stock, as if loth to leave her rising progeny unsheltered from the sweeping tornado, generally continues- to spread her broad leaves over them until they shall have attained a sufficient size to stand firmly before the destroying blast of the storm-king ; and then, one by one, the expansive leaves or branches wither and fall to the ground, leaving the aged, worn-out stalk to be prostrated by the passing breeze. The fruit of the plantain is cylindri- cal and slightly curved, somewhat tapering towards the end. It is usually from six to nine inches long, and one to two in diameter. At first it is of pale green colour ; but when fully ripe it is yellow. It arrives at maturity in about eight months. Most persons in Liberia cut the branches before the fruit has ripened ; but it is much better when it is allowed to ripen before being separated from the stalk. It is usually prepared for the "table by being boiled, baked, or fried ; and it is perhaps the most luscious and wholesome vegetable of tropical climates, and one of the most valuable fruits in the vegetable kingdom. It may be produced at any time in the year ; and, with a little judicious management, every family may have this excellent and nutritious article every day in the year. The banana is so much like the plantain in every respect, except in the taste and a slight difference in the appearance AMERICAN SLAVERY. 275 of the fruit* that the description of one will answer for both. Indeed, it is difficult to distinguish one from the other when they are growing. The fruit of the banana is only about half the length of the plantain, and not so much curved. It is also much softer when ripe, and is more frequently eaten uncooked, although it may be prepared in the same manner as the plantain. The taste of the plantain very much resembles the taste of apples cooked in the same way ; while that of the banana is sui generis unlike any fruit of the United States. The plantain and banana trees or shrubs are among the most beautiful vegetable growths of tropical climates. Okra is the fruit of a small tree, ten or twelve feet high. It is a soft, pulpy, and very mucilaginous fruit, which, when boiled, forms a thick, semi-fluid, pleasant, and nutritious article of food, an excellent adjuvant to rice. It may be raised easily and abundantly in Liberia. The papaw is a tall, slender, herbaceous tree, of very rapid growth, sometimes attaining the height of thirty feet. The body of the tree is usually naked to within two or three feet of the top, and is marked with the cicatrices of the fallen leaves, which wither and fall as the tree continues to grow, giving place to others above them. Sometimes, however, there are several branches attached to the upper part of the body of the tree, each of which branches produces a cluster of fruit. The leaves are very large, have long footstalks, and are divided into numerous lobes. The fruit is nearly round, of a pale green colour, becoming yellowish as it ripens, and is about the size of the head of a young infant. One variety of the papaw, however, bears fruit of an elongated shape, somewhat like a pear, but considerably larger than the other variety. The fruit of the papaw has a sweetish taste. It is very soft, and when fully ripe and stewed, it resembles in both appearance and taste the best pumpkins of the United States ; when stewed, before it has ripened, and made into pie, it so much resembles the green-apple pie, in taste s 2 276 TREASURED MOMENTS. as well as appearance, that the most fastidious epicure might be deceived by it, if he did not stop to think that apples do not grow in Liberia. The cocoanut is perhaps the most beautiful tree of tropical climates. It has long curved leaves or branches, that hang gracefully from the upper part of the body, which rises sometimes to the height of thirty feet or more. The fruit grows in clusters near the base of the stalks of the leaves. The cocoanut-tree is seldom raised in Liberia, except as an ornament. A few of these stately and beautiful trees may be seen in some of the settlements. The tamarind is a large spreading tree, having very small deep-green leaves. The fruit grows in elongated pods, similar to the butter-bean. Although the tamarind is indigenous, and thrives as well perhaps in Liberia as in any other part of the world, yet the people do not give any atten- tion to the gathering of the fruit, except for their own use, and, indeed, very few seem to care anything about it. I think, however, it might be made a profitable article of exportation. The pomegranate is a dense, spiny shrub, ten or twelve feet high. It produces beautiful, brilliant, large red flowers, and the fruit is about the size of a large apple, and covered with a thick coriaceous rind. It is filled with a multitude of small seeds, and the pulp is slightly acid and astringent. This fruit is seldom cultivated in Liberia, although I presume it will thrive as well as in most other parts of the world. The African cherry (so called in Liberia) is a very peculiar fruit. It is about the size of the ordinary Morello cherry of the United States, but in taste it more resembles the cranberry. The tree is usually about fifteen feet high. The great peculiarity in the growth of this fruit consists in the manner in which the short stems are attached to the tree not to the twigs of the branches, but to the body and larger limbs of the tree ; the stems of the fruit being about one-third of an inch long. This fruit makes very fine tarts, equal to the cranberry. AMERICAN SLAVERY. 277 The African peach, of which there are several varieties, is a large, round, acid fruit, one variety being about twice the size of the largest peaches in the United States. These trees, some of which are very large, grow abundantly in the forests of Liberia. The fruit is used only- for making preserves, which, when properly made, are surpassed only by the guava. The sour-sop is a large, pulpy, acidulous fruit, which grows on a tree about the size of an ordinary apple-tree. The fruit is nearly pear-shaped, and is about as large as an ordinary cantelope. It is covered with a thick knotty rind. When perfectly ripe, it is a very pleasant fruit, especially when a little sugar is sprinkled over the pulp. It is also very good when fried in slices, in which state it somewhat resembles in taste fried sour apples. The sweet-sop is a fruit somewhat similar to the sour-sop, but not so acidulous nor so pleasant to the taste. It is seldom used. The cacao, from which chocolate is produced, though not yet extensively cultivated, thrives well in Liberia, and doubt- less might be made a very profitable article of cultivation. The rose-apple is a small round fruit, which takes its name from its delightful fragrance. It is not very palatable, how- ever, and is seldom eaten. The granadilla is a large fruit that grows on a vine. It is about as large as a moderate-sized cantelope. No part of the fruit is eaten except the seeds and the mucilaginous substance by which they are surrounded. These are loosely confined in the centre of the fruit. The taste of this mucilage resembles the American strawberry more than any other fruit with which I am acquainted. The sorrel is a large shrub, having deep-red blossoms, which are often used for making tarts. It grows freely in Liberia, and it is a very handsome ornament to a yard or garden. The chiota is the fruit of a vine. It is about as large as 278 TREASURED MOMENTS. an ordinary pear. When properly prepared, by stewing, it affords a wholesome, palatable, and nutritious article of food ; and it may be easily raised in Liberia. The celebrated bread-fruit, of the island of Tahiti, which was introduced into the British West India Islands, by order of the Government, will grow well in Liberia. But, as there are so many other articles of a somewhat similar kind that are pre- ferable to it, it is seldom used. I have seen several other indigenous fruits in Liberia, some of which are very palatable ; some very fragrant, but not very acceptable to the palate ; and others not possessing any good qualities to recommend them. And there are many other kinds of fruits peculiar to tropical climates which, no doubt, would thrive well in Liberia, but which have not yet been introduced. I have alluded to those only that I have seen growing there, and of which I have eaten. CHAPTER iv. PRODUCTIONS (continued}. EXPORTABLE ARTICLES. In addition to the vegetable pro- ductions of Liberia to which I have alluded, there are some others that are worthy of particular notice, especially as they are the principal exportable articles, some of which may be rendered very profitable articles of commerce. These are, coffee, ginger, pepper, sugar, ground-nuts, indigo, cotton, and arrow-root. In reference to coffee, I am quite satisfied that the soil and climate of Liberia are as well adapted to the cultivation of this article as the soil and climate of any other part of the world. I believe that as good coffee can be raised in Liberia as in any other coffee-growing country ; and I have no doubt that, by proper attention, it may be raised as plentifully as in any other part of the world. These opinions are not hastily formed, but are founded on personal observations in some of the West- India Islands, as well as in Liberia, and on frequent conversations with persons who have visited various other AMERICAN SLAVERY. 279 parts of the world in which coffee is cultivated. I have fre- quently seen isolated trees growing in different parts of Liberia, which have yielded from ten to twenty pounds of clean dry coffee at one picking ; and, however incredible it may appear, it is a fact that one tree in Monrovia yielded four bushels and a half of coffee, in the hull, at one time, which, on being shelled and dried, weighed thirty-one pounds. This is the largest quantity of which I ever heard as having been gathered from one tree ; and it was the largest coffee-tree I ever saw, being upwards of twenty feet high, and of proportionate dimen- sions. I have given particular attention to observations and inves- tigations respecting the cultivation of coffee in Liberia ; and I think I may safely set down the average quantity that may be raised, by proper cultivation, at four pounds to each tree that is, each tree of six years old and upwards. The coffee-tree will begin to bear in three years from the time at which the seeds are planted. At the end of the fourth year the average quantity may be set down at one pound to each tree ; at the end of the fifth year, two pounds and a half ; and at the end of the sixth year, four pounds. About three hundred trees can be planted in one acre of ground, allowing the trees to be twelve feet apart. Therefore, in four years from the time the seeds are planted in the nursery, 300 pounds of coffee may be gathered, which, at ten cents a pound (a very moderate rate for Liberia coffee, which has frequently been sold for twenty cents a pound in this country), would be worth 30 dollars. At the end of the fifth year, 750 pounds may be gathered worth 75 dollars ; and at the end of the sixth year, 1,200 pounds worth 120 dollars. So that in six years from the time of the planting of the seeds, agreeably to this calculation, 2,250 pounds of coffee may be produced on one acre of ground worth 225 dollars. And, accordingly, ten acres, properly cultivated, will yield during the first six years an income of 2,250 dollars, and at least 1,200 dollars during each succeed- ing year. 280 TKEASURED MOMENTS. This calculation I regard as pretty nearly correct ; but, even admitting that I have set down the quantities and the value at one-fourth more than they should be, it will still appear that the cultivation of coffee may be rendered a source of wealth in Liberia, even supposing that nothing else could be raised for exportation, which is by no means the case. I am quite satisfied that at least 100 dollars a year may be realised, by proper management, from the produce of one acre of ground cultivated in coffee, after the sixth year from the time of planting of the grains in the nursery. And, as it does not require much labour, one person may easily cultivate three acres, with a little hired assistance in clearing the land, and may devote one-half of his time, or more, to the cultivation of other articles, for the use of himself and family, and for sale ; and he need not work more than five or six hours a day. So that, by industry, prudence, and economy, any man may realise at least 300 dollars a year for his labour, over and above the necessary expenditures of himself and family ; the other articles which he may raise being quite sufficient for the comfortable support of his household. I am aware that the truthfulness of this statement has seldom been exhibited in the agricultural operations of the citizens of Liberia; but this fact does not necessarily confute the truth of the state- ment, nor does it sufficiently exhibit the impracticability of its being fully and easily carried out. And I might add, that it does not require" the exercise of profound wisdom, even in a cursory observer, to discover the real cause why the feasibility of the result of the foregoing calculation is not more frequently exhibited. Coffee is indigenous to Liberia. It may frequently be seen wild in the woods. It is, however, much improved by cultiva- tion. The most approved method of raising it is to plant the grains in a nursery, and to transplant when the tree has attained the height of a foot and a half. Some trees arrive at their full growth in five or six years, while others continue to grow more than double that length of time. The grains grow in AMERICAN SLAVERY. 281 pairs, covered with a hull, from which they can be easily separated when dry. The coffee blossom is a beautiful and highly fragrant little white flower, and the berry, when fully ripe, is of a pale red colour. The average height of full-grown trees is about eight feet. They continue to bear from ten to twenty years. I have seen some fine flourishing trees which were upwards of twenty years old. As the coffee-tree is easily cultivated, and as the fruit is easily cured, the cultivation of this profitable and useful article should oecupy a portion of the time of every family in Liberia. Next to coffee, perhaps ginger may be made the most profitable article of culture, for exportation. The superior quality of this article, and the peculiar adaptation of almost every kind of soil in Liberia to its abundant growth, justify the opinion that it may be rendered a profitable article of commerce. It will certainly grow as well in Liberia as in any other part of the world ; and in quality it is scarcely inferior to the best that is produced in any other country. I have no certain data from which I can determine the average quantity of ginger that may be raised on a given quantity of land ; but, from what I have seen, I am quite satisfied that it may be raised in great abundance, with very little labour. The average increase is at least twenty-fold, when properly culti- vated. From six to eight months is the time usually required for its growth and maturation. Bird pepper, which is known in the United States as " African Cayenne pepper," is an indigenous article that may be found almost everywhere throughout Liberia. I have fre- quently seen great quantities of it growing wild in the woods. And if a little attention were given to the cultivation of ib, thousands of pounds might be annually exported. It grows on bushes about four feet high. The pods are generally about half an inch long, and one-third of an inch in circumference. One species, however, is four or five times this size. The smaller kind is generally preferred. In quality it is perhaps not equalled by that raised in any other country. The culti- 282 TREASURED MOMENTS. vation of it requires scarcely any attention ; and the only pre- paration of it for the market consists in picking the pods and spreading them out to dry. The shrub grows very rapidly, and the fruit arrives at maturity in six or eight months from the time of planting. It yields more abundantly about the beginning of the year ; but, as the fruit continues to be repro- duced throughout the year, it may be collected at any time. The natives use it very freely. It is not uncommon to see them with a bunch of pepper in one hand and a roasted cas- sada in the other, taking, with each bite of the latter, one of the pods of the former, one of which pods would serve to pep- per a full meal for a person not so accustomed to its use. Perhaps the reader of this may wonder why pepper is not more freely gathered and exported, as it grows so abundantly in the wild state, and as it may be so very easily cultivated. To this I can only respond, Echo answers, Why ? Sugar-cane will, perhaps, thrive as well in Liberia as in any other country. I have seen stalks more than fifteen feet high, and two or three inches in diameter. The average size of the stalks is considerably larger than those raised in the island of Barbadoes, and the juice is equally sweet, and proportionably more abundant. This I have tested by personal observations. Sugar, however, probably will not soon become a profitable article of exportation, in consequence of the inability of the Liberians to compete with the West-India planters. Liberia, however, may be, and ought to be, independent of all the rest of the world for this luxury. Every farmer ought to raise, not only enough of this article for the use of his own family, but some to dispose of to his mercantile, mechanical, and pro- fessional neighbours. And, even if he cannot conveniently manufacture the sugar in any considerable quantity, he can certainly express enough of the juice in a few hours, with his own hands, in a mill of his own construction, to make several gallons of syrup (not molasses, but a much better article), which answers very well for every practical or necessary purpose. AMERICAN SLAVERY. 283 Ground-nuts, or pea-nuts, may be raised in great abundance in Liberia. And, as these nuts generally find a ready market in the United States and in Europe, they certainly will richly repay the Liberian farmer for the little trouble and labour which their cultivation requires. I do not know what quan- tity may be raised on a given portion of land, but I do know that they yield very abundantly. Although the cultivation of indigo has not met with much attention in Liberia comparatively few persons having given any attention at all to it yet, as the indigo plant grows so luxuriantly, and may be raised so easily, the manufacture of indigo is certainly worthy of particular notice. The plant grows so abundantly in Liberia, that it constitutes one of the most troublesome weeds in the gardens, and even in the streets of the settlements ; and, with a little skill and. industry in preparing the indigo, it may be rendered one of the most pro- fitable crops that can be produced in tropical climates. The plant arrives at maturity in three or four months from the time of planting the seed ; and, as it springs up again in a few weeks after having been cut, one crop will yield five or six cuttings in the course of the year. Several varieties of the indigo plant may be found growing wild in Liberia, all of which yield very fine indigo, some of which is perhaps equal to that produced in any other part of the world. The pre- paration of indigo requires a little more patience and industry than the Liberians generally are in the habit of bestowing on any one article of agriculture, which is the principal cause why it has not been more extensively manufactured. Cotton has not yet been cultivated to a sufficient extent to enable me to determine from observation whether it may be made a very profitable article of agriculture. Several old cotton planters, who had grown grey in raising cotton in Georgia, Mississippi, and other Southern States, before they went to Liberia, have repeatedly told me that the cotton tree or shrub will grow as well, and yield as abundantly, in Liberia, as in any part of the United States. The natives in 284 TREASURED MOMENTS. the interior manufacture cotton goods pretty extensively from the indigenous growth, of which there are several varieties. The best grows on trees or shrubs eight or ten feet high similar to those raised in the United States, but larger in the average size. And, as the trees are not injured by frosts, of course they continue to bear for several years. I doubt not that Liberia might become one of the most important cotton- growing countries in the world. Arrow-root probably thrives as well in Liberia as in any other part of the world. This is a tender plant, which usually grows to the height of two or three feet. The stems, of which several rise from the same root, are round, branched, jointed, and leafy. The leaves resemble the common sword-grass. They are alternate, and are from three to six inches in length. The root, which is the only part used, is beautifully cylindrical, straight, and tapering (hence the name of the plant), fleshy, scaly, and furnished with numerous long white fibres ; and is usually from three to eight inches in length. This plant is one of the most luxuriant growths in Liberia. It is easily propagated, and it arrives at maturity in about five months. In preparing it for use the roots are washed, and then beat into a pulp, which is thrown into a tub of water, and agitated so as to separate the fibres from the amylaceous part ; the latter of which remains suspended in the water, while the former is removed. The milky fluid, thus formed, is strained, and allowed to stand several hours, until the fecula or starch shall have settled at the bottom of the vessel. It is then washed with a fresh portion of water, strained again, and allowed to subside again, this process sometimes being per- formed three or four times ; after which it is spread out and dried in the sun. About eight pounds of the pure powder or flour may be produced from a bushel of roots. As arrow-root may be produced so abundantly in Liberia, and as it is one of the most important exportable articles, as well as one of the most valuable articles of food, it deserves particular notice. The cultivation of the plant requires so AMERICAN SLAVERY. 285 little labour or attention, and the process of manufacturing the fecula from the roots is so very simple and so easily per- formed, that I am quite certain this article may be rendered a source of wealth by exportation. From having frequently seen it growing, and having seen the quantity which a very small piece of ground produced, I think the average quantity that may be raised on almost every kind of soil in Liberia may be safely and truly set down at one hundred bushels per acre ; that is, eight hundred pounds of pure manufactured arrow- root or fecula. An old gentleman at Monrovia, who has raised a considerable quantity of it, stated to me, that, from the quantity he has made from a certain portion of land, he was quite satisfied that one acre, properly cultivated, will yield two thousand pounds. And a farmer at Caldwell assured me that he made one hundred and thirty pounds from the produce of one-sixteenth of an acre of ground. But, as it will be perceived, I have placed the average quantity at less than one-half of the proportionate quantity that has actually been raised ; and this, I think, is not beyond a fair estimate. Assuming, therefore, that one-half an acre will produce four hundred pounds (a quantity which almost any family may easily raise and manu- facture), and allowing the average net price to be only fifteen cents a pound, it will appear that 60 dollars may be realised from this small quantity of land, with comparatively little labour. During the last few years, arrow-root has been used pretty extensively in Liberia as a substitute for wheat-flour ; and, as I have frequently eaten it in various forms of bread, I hesitate not to say, that I believe it to be not only a good substitute for flour, but much more suitable and wholesome for persons residing in tropical climates. It makes very fine biscuits, either alone or when mixed with a small quantity of sweet potatoes ; it also makes very good pie-crust ; and I have seen light or leavened bread made of arrow-root, which so much resembled wheat-flour bread, in both appearance and taste, as to deceive professed judges. Besides these, I have eaten the nicest kind 286 TREASURED MOMENTS. of pound and other sweet cakes, made of this article instead of flour, with the ordinary adjuvants. The foregoing named articles constitute the principal exportable articles of agriculture that may be raised in Liberia ; and I have endeavoured to give faithful and truth- ful statements in reference to each of them. And, while I regret that greater attention has not yet been given to the cultivation of these articles, I cherish the hope that the period will arrive at which all of them will be cultivated extensively ; if not by the present inhabitants, by others who may emigrate thither, having more energy, industry, and perseverance. I candidly believe that a man may acquire more wealth in Liberia by judicious management in the cultivation of the soil, than he could acquire in any part of the United States with double the quantity of land, double the amount of labour, and in double the length of time ; even allowing for all the dis- advantages under which he may have to labour in Liberia, and all the facilities which he might have in the" United States. I am quite certain, that, by pursuing a regular, systematic, and persevering course of agricultural industry and frugality, the citizens of Liberia may, with no other means than those which every individual can readily procure, produce not only enough of those articles that are peculiar to tropical climates for their own use, but a large surplus for exportation. And any man in Liberia who enjoys a tolerable degree of health, and who does not live comfortably and independently, may, without any violation of the principles of truth or justice, charge the deficiency to his own account. CHAPTER v. PRODUCTIONS (continued). One of the most important and valuable indigenous articles of the vegetable kingdom in intertropical Africa is the palm, which is one of the most remarkable and useful trees in the world. There are two or three varieties of the palm in Liberia, one of which, by its towering height and graceful AMERICAN SLAVERY. 287 appearance, attracts particular attention. The tree that yields the nuts from which oil is extracted seldom grows to the height of more than twenty-five feet. It resembles the cocoa- nut tree, having, like that, long leaves or branches attached to the upper part of the body of the tree, and which hang in graceful curves. The fruit grows in clusters or bunches, near the base of the stalks of the leaves. The nut is oval, about an inch long, and, when ripe, is of a deep red colour. The oil is extracted from the pulp of the nut, which yields very abundantly. It is manufactured by the natives, and several hundred thousand gallons are annually exported from Liberia. Palm-trees may be seen in every part of Liberia, adorning the hills and valleys, and furnishing not only great quantities of oil for exportation, as well as for domestic uses, but yielding a variety of other useful substances : a peculiar beverage called " palm wine," procured by tapping the tree, and which in taste very much resembles wine-whey ; also a substance that grows at the top of the tree, called " palm-cabbage," and which, when boiled, has an agreeable taste ; and from the fibres of the leaves the natives get materials for making baskets, hats, &c. Palm-oil is extensively used by the Liberians as a substitute for sperm-oil and candles, and also in culinary operations, as a substitute for lard and butter ; and, for all needful purposes to which those articles are applied, it answers very well. The average price of palm-oil in Liberia is about thirty-three cents a gallon. Another valuable tree, which is indigenous and peculiar to intertropical Africa, is the camwood, which grows abundantly in the forests about a himdred miles from the coast. This is one of the most valuable dyewoods in the world ; and hun- dreds of tons are annually exported from Liberia. The palma-christi, the seeds of which yield castor-oil, is also indigenous to Liberia ; and I have no doubt that the regular cultivation of this valuable shrub would richly repay the labourer for the little trouble that it would require. The tree which yields the medicinal balsam, called copaiva, 288 TREASURED MOMENTS. may also be seen growing wild in the forests of Liberia ; and I doubt not that the juice might be collected in sufficient quantities to become a valuable article of exportation. Several varieties of the acacia (gum-arabic tree) grow in Liberia ; and some of the gum is of superior quality. I have seen some specimens of olibanum (frankincense), which, as the natives informed me, were collected from large trees that grow abundantly in the forests. I have frequently seen the caoutchouc, or gum-elastic tree, growing in Liberia, some of which are forty feet or more in height. The forests of Liberia also furnish many different kinds of valuable timber, well suited for ship or boat building, cabinet work, and all the various operations in carpentry ; the princi- pal of which are wistmore, brimstone, rose-wood, mulberry, bastard mahogany, saffron, mangrove, African oak, hickory, poplar, persimmon, and sassa-wood. Some of these make very beautiful cabinet-work. A considerable variety of medicinal plants, besides those to which I have alluded, may be found in Liberia ; among which is the croton tiglium, a small tree or shrub, with spreading branches, yielding a capsular fruit, from the seeds of which croton oil is extracted. ANIMALS. The principal wild animals which infest the forests or rivers of Liberia are the elephant, leopard, hippo- potamus, crocodile, porcupine, wild hog, boa constrictor, several varieties of the deer, and several of the ape. Elephants are quite numerous about a hundred miles back in the interior ; and the natives make a regular business of hunting and killing them, for the ivory of which their tusks are composed. These animals were formerly frequently seen in the vicinity of some of the settlements ; but they are now seldom seen within fifty miles of the seacoast. Leopards are occasionally seen prowling about the outskirts of some of the settlements ; and they sometimes carry away small domesticated animals at night. But they are much less AMERICAN SLAVERY. 289 numerous and troublesome than formerly. They never attack a person, except after having been wounded. Hippopotami are occasionally seen on the banks of the rivers, some of them of immense size weighing a thousand pounds, or more. They are sometimes killed by the natives. They are harmless animals ; and they always endeavour to escape, when interrupted, by plunging into the water. Crocodiles (erroneously called alligators) are frequently seen basking in the sunshine on the banks of the rivers, or on the little rocky islands. They always make their escape into the water when approached by a person on shore, or in a boat or canoe. Boa constrictors are sometimes killed in the forests in Liberia. The largest I ever saw was fifteen feet long, and fifteen inches in circumference. Much larger ones have been killed. I never heard of their attacking an individual. Serpents, however, are much less numerous in Liberia than is generally supposed ; and poisonous snakes are perhaps less common than in many parts of the United States. Deer are very numerous, and they afford excellent venison. Monkeys are found in great numbers in the forests. I have seen a dozen, or more, at one time, jumping from tree to tree, with great dexterity. Several species of the ape tribe are occasionally caught by the natives ; among which is the chimpanzee, so remarkable for its near approximation in appearance to the human race. Some of these " wild men of the woods " have been seen as large as an ordinary-sized man. The largest that I ever saw was about the size of a child two or three years old. The old. ones are never caught, and are seldom killed. They are very powerful, as well as very active. Besides these, the guana, the ichneumon, the sloth, the beautiful and ever-changing chameleon, many varieties of lizards, and several species of ants, may frequently be seen. One variety or species of ants is very remarkable, in con- sequence of the immense conical mounds of earth which they rear, and in which they make their nests. These mounds are T 290 TREASURED MOMENTS. sometimes ten or twelve feet high, and eight or ten feet in diameter at the base. These ants are about the size of the large black ant in the United States. The queen, however, is much larger some of them two inches in length and nearly two inches in circumference. In the interior of the mound, about half-way from the bottom, is a large vaulted chamber, the floor of which is very hard and smooth. In the centre of the floor is the nest, in the inmost recess of which lives the queen in luxurious ease, accompanied by the king, whose size does not vary much from the ordinary ant, but who is easily recognised by a striking difference in physical conformation. When the queen dies, or is captured, all the ants desert the hill, which is left to "crumble into dust again." Many of these deserted mounds may be seen in almost every part of Liberia. Another species of ants (familiarly known by the name of drivers) is still more remarkable. They are about the size of the black ant of America that is, about one-fourth to one- half of an inch in length. They may frequently be seen marching along in the most systematic order and regularity of movement. They move in a solid, compact column of great length ; and they appear to be under the direction of able leaders and rigid disciplinarians. No common obstacle turns them out of their course ; and whoever is so unfortunate as to come in their line of march will have to pay for his temerity, and will be reminded to be more careful in future. Hundreds seize fiercely on the intruding foot, and the unwary object of their vengeance is compelled to retreat from the scene of attack. These tiny warriors are very troublesome ; but they are exceedingly useful in expelling noxious vermin from every place into which they may enter in the course of their per- ambulations. Whenever a battalion of drivers enters a dwelling-house, the inmates are obliged, for the time, to yield undisputed possession, at least of that part of the house which the little warriors may be searching. They are not, however, always unwelcome visitors ; for they never fail to expel rate, AMERICAN SLAVERY. 291 mice, and every species of vermin making a clean sweep as they go. Whenever they come to a small water-course, the larger and stronger ones dexterously form themselves into an arch, by clinging to each other ; thus making a bridge, over which the smaller ones pass dryshod. Even in their ordinary march over level ground, they seem to ding to each other in a solid phalanx : the stronger ones occupying the flanks, and arching themselves over the weaker ones, who occupy the centre, and who are thus protected by the others. All kinds of animals, both large and small, are afraid of drivers ; nor have they any regard to size in the objects of their warfare. They are very useful in chasing away or killing snakes, lizards, scorpions, centipedes, &c., which, were it not for the drivers, would be exceedingly troublesome, and even dangerous. Whenever they visit a house, they search it all over, and expel every living, moving thing, that they find ; after which, they retire peaceably, and yield possession to the former occupants. They make their nests beneath the sur- face of the ground ; and I presume they sally forth from their quarters only in search of food ; at which times the line of march is sometimes a hundred yards, or more, in length. The principal domesticated animals in Liberia are bullocks or beeves, cows, sheep, goats, swine, geese, turkeys, ducks, and chickens. Beeves are frequently brought into the settlements for sale by the natives, and they are sometimes raised by the citizens. They may be raised easily in any desirable quantity. Cows are numerous, but they do not give much milk. Some of the cows which are brought from the interior, one or two hundred miles from the coast, are as large as ordinary cows in the United States ; but they do not give half so much milk. If properly attended to, however, I think they would afford milk much more plentifully. Sheep and goats can be very easily raised in Liberia as easily, perhaps, as in any other part of the world ; and they both afford good, wholesome animal food. The sheep are 292 TREASURED MOMENTS. covered with hair instead of wool. The goats furnish very good milk. Swine do not thrive so well in Liberia as in some parts of the United States ; but they can be raised in sufficient abundance for the wants of the people. Geese and ducks may be raised without any more difficulty than in the United States ; and within a few years past, turkeys have become much more plentiful than they formerly were. Perhaps in no other part of the world can chickens be raised more easily and more plentifully than in Liberia. With very little trouble, every family may always have a sufficient supply of chickens. Horses are plentiful in the interior, within three hundred miles of the coast ; but they do not thrive well in the settle- ments, perhaps in consequence principally of the want of proper management. They are occasionally brought down by the natives, and some of them are very beautiful. They are small seldom more than twelve hands high. I am quite satisfied that they never can be used to much advantage as draught animals in the present settlements of Liberia ; but for all necessary purposes the native oxen can be used as a substitute for horses. I have seen some of the small bullocks broken to the yoke, and working steadily and effec- tually. The Liberians, however, have not yet given much attention to the breaking and working of oxen by no means as much as they ought to give. I trust that the time may not be distant when the plough and the cart will be much more extensively used than at present. AMERICAN SLAVERY. 293 NATIVE AFRICANS IN LIBERIA. THEIR CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS. LIKE the aborigines of our own country, those of Africa are divided into numerous tribes, each tribe having a dialect differing to a greater or less extent from those of the con- tiguous tribes, and each being characterised by some national peculiarities ; the difference, however, in appearance, customs, and superstitions not being very great among the different tribes within the territory of Liberia. The principal tribes in Liberia and its immediate vicinity, are, the Dey, Vey, Bassa, Queah, Golah, Pessah, Kroo, Fish, and Grebo : the last named being that tribe in the immediate vicinity of Cape Palmas. The government among the different tribes may be regarded as a kind of compound of the patriarchal, the oligarchal, and the monarchical. In every tribe there is one man who is recog- nised as the head king, to whom all the other kings and chiefs of the tribe are nominally subordinate. African kings, how- ever, are very numerous. Indeed, in almost every community there is one man who is regarded as a king : his jurisdiction extending over a single hamlet, or a small tract of country, including within its limits several small hamlets. As in European monarchical governments, so among the native tribes of Africa, royalty and governmental authority are usually hereditary. The legal successor of a departed king, however, cannot assume his royal station and authority with- out the concurrence of all the other kings of the tribe : and not unfrequently some other individual, not of the royal family, is appointed by the other kings, with the concurrence of the people over whom he is to preside, in consequence of the minority of the rightful successor though he may be a man of thirty years of age, or more or of some other difficulty, either imaginary or real. The kingly succession is not so 294 TREASURED MOMENTS. scrupulously observed in Africa as in Europe ; and not unfrequently, like Bonaparte and Cromwell, some daring adventurer, sometimes of another and distant tribe, will usurp the power and authority rightly belonging to another, and set up a dominion or kingdom for himself vi et armis, as in the case of the celebrated boatswain who rendered valuable assist- ance to the early settlers of Liberia. In most cases the title is the only thing of which African kings can boast. None of them are ever burdened with wealth ; indeed, most of them are miserably poor. I have seen half a dozen kings, and as many chiefs and headmen, at one time, sitting on the ground, as humble mendicants, in submissive patience awaiting to receive a " dash " (present) of a few pounds of tobacco from a gentleman in Liberia, at whose place of residence they had assembled. In addition to those persons who are dignified with the honourable appellation of king, there are others of subordinate authority, who are generally called headmen. In each hamlet, however small, there is a headman, who has more or less control over all the other residents of the place, and who is responsible for their conduct. The principal mark of dis- tinction between the kings, or headmen, and the rest of the people usually consists in the size of the garments which they respectively wear : those of the former generally being more extensive than those of the latter. Their style of living does not differ materially from that of any of their subjects, and their palaces cannot generally be distinguished from the residences of their untitled subordinates. The natives about Liberia invariably reside in towns or hamlets, few of which contain more than five hundred inha- bitants, and most of them less than two hundred. The whole country, except in the immediate vicinity of these towns or hamlets, which are very numerous, presents a deep, unbroken forest, the solemn silence of which is seldom disturbed save by the footsteps and voices of travellers, and the noise of wild animals. The houses or huts in which they reside are AMERICAN SLAVERY. 295 generally rudely constructed of sticks, usually lined with strong bamboo mats, with which the dirt floors are also some- times covered. They are always covered with thatch, and sometimes they are daubed outside with mud. Some of their huts are constructed with a little regard to taste and con- venience, some are pretty substantially built ; but most of them are filthy, smoky, ugly, disagreeable hovels, presenting indubitable evidence of extreme indolence and improvidence on the part of the inmates. Their almost universal style of dress consists simply of a piece of cotton cloth, or a cotton handkerchief, fastened loosely about their loins ; in addition to which, a kind of hat is sometimes (not generally) worn, composed of the fibres of some one of the numerous indigenous vegetable substances, or of a kind of grass. In addition to the ordinary " girdle about the loins," some of the natives, particularly the kings and head- men, wear a kind of robe, loosely thrown across one shoulder and wrapped around the body. These robes are generally manufactured in the country from the native cotton, which they spin by a very simple though tedious process, and weave into narrow strips, never more than six inches wide, by a process exhibiting a little ingenuity, but not less tedious than that of the spinning. A great deal of their time is occupied in dancing and singing, and in a variety of nonsensical plays. These plays are frequently kept up day and night for several successive days, and sometimes for several weeks. I have frequently heard the sound of their rudely constructed drums, and other instruments of music, at nearly all hours of both day and % night. Some of their musical instruments are quite fanciful in appearance ; but none that I ever saw exhibited much ingenuity in their construction. They have various systems of gambling, and many of them are very expert in some of their games. It is not uncommon to see half a dozen, or more, strong, healthy natives, sitting on the ground, busily engaged in gambling, the amount at stake being a pipeful of tobacco. 296 TREASURED MOMENTS. Several of the tribes have national marks, by which the members of a particular tribe may be distinguished from those of any other tribe ; in addition to which, the bodies of some are variously, and sometimes very fantastically, tattooed, par- ticularly the breast, back, and arms. Their process of tattooing consists in making numerous small incisions in the skin, over which they rub a kind of paste, usually made of the ashes of a particular shrub, mixed with palm-oil, which leaves an indel- ible impression, somewhat darker than the contiguous surface. Domestic slavery is very common among all the tribes to which I have alluded, and, I presume, among all the numerous tribes throughout the whole of Africa. So far as I was able to learn, the Kroomen and the Fishmen are the only tribes on that part of the western coast who do not enslave persons of their tribe : they never enslave each other, and they are seldom enslaved by others. They, however, frequently possess slaves of other tribes ; and they are the most active " aiders and abettors " of the nefarious traffic on that part of the coast. They are generally employed in conducting the slaves from the marts on the coast to the slave-ships ; and from them principally is derived the information relative to the state of the trade. In most cases the slaves owned by individuals of any tribe are of some other tribe. Those who are captured in the wars, and thus reduced to slavery, are generally sold to foreigners ; while many of those who are purchased are kept for years by the individuals to whom they belong. It is not uncommon for one man to own several scores of slaves ; and in some cases, among the wealthy sons of the forest, several hundreds of their fellow-beings submit in humble obedience to the authority of their princely master. It is not improbable, indeed, that at least five-sixths of the whole population of Africa are slaves. In visiting an African hamlet, however, a stranger would be at a loss to distinguish slaves from free men, or even from their masters. But though they are of similar complexion, and though no prominent mark or badge of distinction can be AMERICAN SLAVERY. 297 seen by strangers, yet slaves are easily recognised by members of the same community, and by members of other communities of the same tribes, and even by individuals of contiguous tribes. In many cases, however, they live as well as their masters do ; and in some cases the state of bondage is apparently only nominal. But, like slaves in other countries, they are always deprived of certain civil and political immunities, which deprivation of course tends to degrade them in the estimation of their more highly favoured neighbours. On some parts of the coast, however, as in the vicinity of the Gaboon river, and perhaps in many other parts of Africa, slaves are generally treated with the utmost severity, and are regarded by the free people with the utmost detestation. I have been informed that, among some tribes, they are held in so little estimation that the master may take their lives (which is not unfrequently done) for the most trifling offence with perfect impunity, no legal process ever being instituted to punish the inhuman master in any way ; and the only punishment which any other free man would have to endure for a similar offence would be the payment of the valuation of the slave to his master. In many communities the number of slaves is much greater than that of the free persons ; and it might be supposed that insurrections would be common. This, how- ever, is not the case. It might also be supposed that slaves would frequently run away, inasmuch as the recognised mark of distinction the difference in cutaneous hue which exists in the United States between masters and slaves does not exist in Africa, and no other particular mark by which they could be known as slaves. But they seldom resort to this expedient to obtain their freedom, knowing, as they do, that such a course (to use a familiar simile) would be a jump from the frying-pan into the fire, inasmuch as they would be doomed to slavery by the people among whom they had fled ; and very probably their situation would be worse than before. 298 TREASTJKED MOMENTS. The ordinary valuation of an able-bodied slave is about thirty dollars in goods, being from fifteen to twenty dollars in money. Young females generally sell for a few dollars more than males. Very often the wives, or some of them, of African " gentlemen" are their purchased slaves ; and some- times, when they get tired of their "better halves," they do not hesitate to sell them to the highest bidder. The custom of fathers selling their children, which is not, I think, so common as it is usually represented in written accounts of the horrors of the African slave trade, arises from the circum- stance of the mothers of those children being slaves, and their offspring being so regarded, notwithstanding, as in some instances in other countries, father and master are terms of synonymous applicability. In regard to the various superstitious notions of the igno- rant and degraded aborigines of Africa, it would be difficult to measure their extent in any community, or to fathom the depth of degradation and misery thus handed down from one generation to another. Among the numerous absurd opinions of a superstitious character which prevail in Western Africa, and which lead to the most foolish practices, the universal belief in witchcraft occupies the most prominent position. And associated with this belief, and arising from it, are many of the most nonsen- sical practices of which the mind can conceive. So grossly absurd, indeed, are the incoherent views of the uneducated native African, in reference to the magical influences of witchcraft, that it is next to impossible to witness their foolish practices resulting from this belief, even after making every allowance for their want of facilities of intellectual cul- ture, without arriving at the conclusion that there is a natural obliquity of the African mind unparalleled in all other countries. This prevailing and settled belief in the influences of witchcraft often leads to murderous practices, by which thousands of these poor, degraded beings are hurried into eternity. A most absurd superstition common among them AMERICAN SLAVERY. 299 is, that no person (except very old and worn-out people) dies, unless by the agency of some other person, who, according to their notions, " made witch " for the deceased individual ; no matter what may be the circumstances attending his death whether by protracted disease, or by accident. Sus- picion generally rests on one individual, or more, who was known to have been at enmity with the deceased; or the family of the dead person are consulted, and they seldom fail to accuse some one of having " made witch" for their dead relative. It sometimes happens, however, that no particular person is accused, in which case it is incumbent on the gree-gree man, or doctor (a very important and influential personage in every community), to point out the culprit. The accused person is obliged to undergo the infallible ordeal of " drinking sassa-wood," especially if the deceased had been a person of consequence. This drinking of sassa-wood, which is a universal test of witchcraft, consists in swallowing large quantities of an infusion of the bark of the sassa-wood tree gulping it down until the distended stomach will not receive any more. If the person rejects from his stomach this poisonous infusion, and lives, his innocence is established ; but if he retains it, and consequently dies, his cruel tor- mentors are satisfied of his guilt. Any person is liable to be accused of witchcraft, or of having caused the death of a deceased person ; but generally some old person is fixed on one whom they wish to get out of the way ; or some person with whom the relatives of the deceased are at variance, and on whom they wish to take revenge for some imaginary or real injury. This is a very common way of being revenged. Sometimes the individual who dies points out, before death, the person who is accused ; and, in some cases, it is for some injury done many years before, by the accused person himself, or by one of the same family, who may already have died. The natives of Africa generally are very revengeful. They harbour such feelings for a long time ; nor are they very particular as to the individual on whom they 300 TREASURED MOMENTS. take revenge : if he or she belongs to the same family, it is enough. Although the drinking of sassa-wood is professedly regarded as a test of witchcraft, yet perhaps, in most cases, the death of the unfortunate individual who falls a victim to this murderous practice is previously concerted ; and in those cases in which the death of the accused person is not desired by the principal operators in this tragical ordeal, the infusion is made so weak as not to produce death. In some cases the victim is unceremoniously beat to death, after having swallowed the liquid. So that, in some cases, the result of this operation of drinking sassa-wood is premeditated. And, though a con- siderable number recover after having submitted to this absurd ordeal, yet thousands, perhaps millions, have been im- molated on this altar of African superstition. Most of the natives carry something about them which they call gree-gree, the object of which is to protect them from the various ills to which " flesh is heir." Each of these gree- grees is carried for some specific purpose to protect them from some particular danger. They are generally suspended around their necks, and are made of various substances, in all imaginable shapes. They all are consecrated by the gree- gree man, or doctor. Some are made of the end of a ram's horn, filled with a mysterious charm by the gree-gree man ; others are more complex in their workmanship, and of course more various in their potency. Some persons are literally loaded with these foolish amulets. They have gun gree-grees, water, fire, poison, war, and I know not how many other kinds, to protect them from different kinds of danger. And it is very difficult to induce any of them to sell any of these foolish The prevailing form of worship among the aborigines in the vicinity of Liberia (if, indeed, it can be said that they really worship anything) is what may be emphatically called Devil worship a kind of superstitious reverence and dread of his Satanic majesty which consists not in public acts of solemn worship, but in undefined conceptions of the power and AMERICAN SLAVERY. 301 agency of" the devil in all their affairs, and in various nonsensical methods to court his favour, or to avoid his dis- pleasure. In the vicinity of many of the towns a small place is set apart in the dense forest, which is called the " devil-bush." At a certain age, or some time during boyhood or adolescence, the male youths are admitted formally into the privileges and duties of manhood, by being brought into the vicinity of the devil-bush, and receiving certain mysterious instructions from the " devil- man," who remains concealed from view. Previous to this important period in the life of the young neophyte, he is not permitted to take any part in the affairs of state, or even to know anything of the judicial proceedings a proscription which extends not only to the young, but to all who have not been initiated into the wonderful mysteries of this chartered university. The mysterious, mighty devil-man is none other than one of their own people, who, at certain periods, emerges from his temporary concealment, dressed in the most fantas- tical manner, and presenting a most frightful appearance. While he is entering the town, in order to engage in the " devil-plays," he blows a huge horn ; at the sound of which the women and children are obliged to fly for their lives. The principal object of the ceremonies of the "devil-bush" seems to be to keep the women under subjection. In Africa, as well as in every other uncivilised country, women are made " hewers of wood and drawers of water :" they are compelled to perform a great part of the labour necessary to the subsist- ence of their lordly spouses ; they sow the rice, plant the cassadas, and attend to the principal duties of husbandry ; and in all things they are obliged to yield submissively to the will of the men. They are not permitted to be present, or even to be within sight or hearing, under penalty of death, during the ceremonies of the " devil-play ;" nor are they allowed at any time, under any circumstances, to enter or to come near the place of residence of the vicegerent of the arch- deceiver. They are kept profoundly ignorant of all these pro- 302 TKEASURED MOMENTS. ceedings, and of everything else which would tend to place them on an equality with their tyrannical rulers the men. A place similar to the devil-bush is set apart in the vicinity of most of the towns, as a seminary for young females. This is called the " gree-gree bush." A small spot of ground is cleared, in the midst of a dense piece of forest ; a few huts are erected on this cleared spot ; and in this sacred retreat, conse- crated to female chastity, the young and innocent damsels are placed, and kept under the direction and instructions of an old woman, whose business is to instruct them in all the duties pertaining to their condition, as maidens, and to the connubial state. Those girls who are placed in this female seminary are generally, perhaps always, betrothed, or rather sold, by their parents, before their entrance sometimes, indeed, from their infancy ; and here they are generally kept until the time of celebration of the nuptials with their previously affianced lords. Males are never permitted to enter the abode of these innocent creatures, under any circumstances whatever not even their fathers or brothers. Nor are the girls allowed to leave their allotted place, except when accompanied by their aged precep- tress. And even on occasions when they are brought out of their place of confinement, they are not permitted to say any- thing to any individual of the other sex. The natives in the vicinity of Liberia universally believe in the existence of a Supreme Being ; but they never offer any kind of religious worship to him ; and their conceptions of his character are exceedingly grovelling and undefined. They also believe in the existence of a principle within the body which must survive its dissolution ; but they have no definite ideas respecting the future state of existence. Indeed, in all that relates to the nature of the human soul, and to its future destiny, their views are exceedingly indefinite, and they abound in contradictions and absurdities. To reduce the discordant elements of the native African's creed to anything like the unity and consistency of a system would require a heavy draft on the imagination of the compiler. AMERICAN SLAVEKY. 303 In reference to the moral and intellectual condition of the native tribes in the vicinity of Liberia, and, I may add, throughout the greater part of Western and Southern Africa, a picture sad and gloomy meets the eye of the observer, and causes the Christian philanthropist to mourn over the moral desolation of these degraded beings. For centuries they have been utterly destitute of the restraints of morality, as well as of the benign influences of Christianity ; and from one depth of degradation to a deeper still they have been sinking, until, among many of the tribes, the last vestiges of humanity almost seem to be merging into an allied proximity with the wild beasts of the forest. In energy and activity of mind they are inferior to most other portions or classes of the human race. In the language of one who well understands the African character : " A few local associations, a limited number of acquaintances among their own people (all equally ignorant), some knowledge of raising the bare necessaries of life, a few traditionary stories, handed down from father to son, and rehearsed in their social groups, as pastime, and a superficial knowledge of the super- stitions of their forefathers, comprise about the sum total of their stores of knowledge. They saunter through life, conscious that they shall exist hereafter, but strangely indifferent as to the nature" or conditions of that existence." And, in reference to the mental imbecility and the indifference to intellectual improvement among these degraded sons and daughters of Ham, I may add, in the language of the same careful and ex- perienced observer (Rev. J. L. Wilson), " In whatever point of light we contemplate the African mind, it presents little else than an inextricable maze of ignorance, credulity, and super- stition, from which it can never be disengaged except by the life-giving and light-imparting influences of Christianity." 304 TREASURED MOMENTS. CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA. ARTICLE I. DECLARATION OF RIGHTS. THE end of the institution, maintenance, and administration of government is to secure the existence of the body politic, to protect it, and to furnish the individuals who compose it with the power of-enjoying, in safety and tranquillity, their natural rights and the blessings of life ; and whenever these great objects are not obtained, the people have a right to alter the government, and to take measures necessary for their safety, prosperity, and happiness. Therefore we, the people of the Commonwealth of Liberia in Africa, acknowledging with devout gratitude the goodness of God, in granting to us the blessings of the Christian religion, and political, religious, and civil liberty, do, in order to secure these blessings for ourselves and our posterity, and to establish justice, ensure domestic peace, and promote the general wel- fare, hereby solemnly associate and constitute ourselves a free, sovereign, and independent State, by the name of the Republic of Liberia, and do ordain and establish this Constitution for the government of the same. Section 1. All men are born equally free and independent, and have certain natural inherent and inalienable rights, among which are the rights of enjoying and defending life and liberty ; of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property ; and of pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness. Section 2. All power is inherent in the people ; all free governments are instituted by their authority and for their benefit, and they have a right to alter and reform the same when their safety and happiness require it. Section 3. All men have a natural and inalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences, without obstruction or molestation from others ; all persons demeaning themselves peaceably, and not obstructing others AMERICAN SLAVERY. 305 in their religious worship, are entitled to the protection of law in the free exercise of their own religion, and no sect of Christians shall have exclusive privileges or preference over any other sect, but all shall be alike tolerated ; and no religious test whatever shall be required as a qualification for civil office, or the exercise of any civil right. Section 4. There shall be no slavery within this Republic ; nor shall any citizen of this Republic, or any person resident therein, deal in slaves, either within or without this Republic, directly or indirectly. Section 5. The people have a right at all times, in an orderly and peaceable manner, to assemble and consult upon the common good, to instruct their representatives, and to petition the government or any public functionaries for the redress of grievance. Section 6. Every person injured shall have remedy therefore by due course of law ; justice shall be done without denial or delay ; and in all cases not arising under martial law, or upon impeachment, the parties shall have a right to a trial by jury, and to be heard in person or by counsel, or both. Section 7. No person shall be held to answer for a capital or infamous crime, except in cases of impeachment ; cases arising in the army and navy, and petty offences, unless upon presentment by a grand jury ; and every person criminally charged shall have a right to be seasonably furnished with a copy of the charge, to be confronted with the witnesses against him, to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favour ; and to have a speedy, public, and impartial trial by a jury of the vicinity. He shall not be compelled to furnish or give evidence against himself, and no person shall, for the same offence, be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb. Section 8. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, pro- perty, or privilege, but by the judgment of his peers, or the law of the land. u 308 TREASURED MOMENTS. Section 9. No place shall be searched nor person seized, on a criminal charge or suspicion, unless upon warrant lawfully issued, upon probable cause, supported by oath, or solemn affirmation, specially designating the place or person, and the object of the search. Section 10. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor exces- sive fines imposed, nor excessive punishments inflicted ; nor shall the legislature make any law impairing the obligation of contracts ; nor any law rendering any act punishable, in any manner in which it was not punishable when it was com- mitted. Section 11. All elections shall be by ballot, and every male citizen of twenty-one years of age, possessing real estate, shall have the right of suffrage. Section 1 2. The people have a right to keep and to bear arms for the common defence. And as, in time of peace, armies are dangerous to liberty, they ought not to be main- tained without the consent of the legislature ; and the military power shall always be held in exact subordination to the civil authority, and be governed by it. m Section 13. Private property shall not be taken for public use, without just compensation. Section 14. The powers of this government shall be divided into three distinct departments the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial; and no person belonging to one of these departments shall exercise any of the powers belonging to either of the others. This section is not to be construed to include justices of the peace. Section 15. The liberty of the press is essential to the security of freedom in State : it ought not, therefore, to be restrained in this Republic. The press shall be free to every person who undertakes to examine the proceedings of the legislature, or any branch of government ; and no law shall ever be made to restrain the rights thereof. The free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of the invaluable rights of man ; and every AMERICAN SLAVERY. 307 citizen may freely speak, write, and print, on any subject, being responsible for the abuse of that liberty. In prosecutions for the publication of papers investigating the official conduct of officers, or men in a public capacity, or where the matter published is proper for public information, the truth thereof may be given in evidence. And in all indictments for libels, the jury shall have a right to determine the law and the facts, under the direction of the court, as in other cases. Section 16. No subsidy, charge, impost, or duties, ought to be established, fixed, laid, or levied, under any pretext what- soever, without the consent of the people, or their representa- tives in the legislature. Section 17. Suits may be brought against the republic in such manner and in such cases as the legislature may by law direct. Section 18. No person can, in any case, be subjected to the law martial, or to any penalties or pains, by virtue of that law (except those employed in the army or navy, and except the militia in actual service), but by the authority of the legislature. Section 19. In order to prevent those who are vested with authority from becoming oppressors, the people have a right at such periods, and in such manner, as they shall establish by their frame of government, to cause their public officers to return to private life, and fill up vacant places, by certain and regular elections and appointments. Section 20. That all prisoners shall be bailable by sufficient sureties, unless for capital offences, when the proof is evident, or presumption great ; and the privilege and the benefit of the writ of habeas corpus shall be enjoyed in this Republic, in the most free, easy, cheap, expeditious, and ample manner, and shall not be suspended by the legislature, except upon the most urgent and pressing occasions, and for a limited time, not exceeding twelve months. u 2 308 TREASURED MOMENTS. ARTICLE II. LEGISLATIVE POWERS. Section 1. The legislative power shall be vested in a Legislature of Liberia, and consist of two separate branches a House of Representatives and a Senate, to be styled the Legislature of Liberia : each of which shall have a negative on the other ; and the enacting style of their acts and laws shall be, "It is enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of Liberia in Legislature assembled." Section 2. The representatives shall be elected by and for the inhabitants of the several counties of Liberia, and shall be apportioned among the several counties of Liberia, as fol- lows : The county of Montserado shall have four representa- tives, the county of Grand Bassa shall have three, and the county of Sinoe shall have one, and all counties hereafter which shall be admitted in the Republic shall have one repre- sentative, and for every ten thousand inhabitants one repre- sentative shall be added. No person shall be a representative who has not resided in the county two whole years immedi- ately previous to his election, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of the county, and does not own real estate of not less value than one hundred and fifty dollars in the county in which he resides, and who shall not have attained the age of twenty-three years. The representatives shall be elected biennially, and shall serve two years from the time of their election. Section 3. When a vacancy occurs in the representation of any county by death, resignation, or otherwise, it shall be filled by a new election. Section 4. The House of Representatives shall elect their own Speaker and other officers ; they shall also have the sole power of impeachment. Section 5. The Senate shall consist of two members from Montserado county, two from Bassa county, two from Sinoe AMERICAN SLAVERY. 309 county, and two from each county which may be hereafter incorporated into this Republic. No person shall be a senator who shall not have resided three whole years immediately previous to his election in the Republic of Liberia, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of the county which he represents, and who does not own real estate of not less value than two hundred dollars in the county which he repre- sents, and who shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years. The senator for each county who shall have the highest number of votes shall retain his seat for four years, and the one who shall have the next highest number of votes two years, and all who are afterwards elected to fill their seats shall remain in office four years. Section 6. The Senate shall try all impeachments; the senators being first sworn, or solemnly affirmed, to try the same impartially, and according to law ; and no person shall be convicted but by the concurrence of two-thirds of the senators present. Judgment in such cases shall not extend beyond removal from office, and disqualification to hold an office in the Republic ; but the party may still be tried at law for the same offence. When either the President or Vice-President is to be tried, the chief justice shall preside. Section 7. It shall be the duty of the legislature as soon as conveniently may be after the adoption of this constitution, and once at least in every ten years afterwards, to cause a true census to be taken of each town and county of the Republic of Liberia, and a representative shall be allowed every town having a population of ten thousand inhabitants; and for every additional ten thousand in the counties after the first census, one representative shall be added to that county until the number of representatives shall amount to thirty ; afterwards one representative shall be added for every thirty thousand. Section 8. Each branch of the legislature shall be judge of the election returns and qualifications of its own members. A majority of each shall be necessary to transact business, but a 310 TREASURED MOMENTS. less number may adjourn from day to day and compel the attendance of absent members. Each house may adopt its own rules of proceeding, enforce order, and, with the concur- rence of two-thirds, may expel a member. Section 9. Neither house shall adjourn for more than two days without the consent of the other ; and both houses shall sit in the same town. Section 1 0. Every bill or resolution which shall have passed both branches of the legislature shall, before it becomes a law, be laid before the President for his approval. If he approves, he shall sign it ; if not, he shall return it to the legislature with his objections ; if the legislature shall afterwards pass the bill or resolution by a vote of two-thirds in each branch, it shall become a law. If the President shall neglect to return such bill or resolution to the legislature with his objection for five days after the same shall have been so laid before him the legislature remaining in session during that time such neglect shall be equivalent to his signature. Section 11. The senators and representatives shall receive from the Republic a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law ; and shall be privileged from arrest, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace, while attending at, going to, or returning from the session of the legislature. ARTICLE III. EXECUTIVE POWER. Section 1. The supreme executive power shall be vested in a President, who shall be elected by the people, and shall hold his office for the term of two years. He shall be com- mander-in- chief of the army and navy ; he shall, in the recess of the legislature, have power to call out the militia, or any portion thereof, into actual service in defence of the Republic. He shall have power to make treaties, provided the Senate concur therein by a vote of two-thirds of the senators present. He shall nominate and, with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoint and commission all ambassadors, and AMERICAN SLAVERY. 311 other public ministers and consuls, secretaries of state, of war, of the navy, and of the treasury; attorney-general, all judges of courts, sheriffs, coroners, marshals, justices of the peace, clerks of courts, registrars, notaries public, and all other officers of State, civil and military, whose appointment may not be otherwise provided for by the constitution, or by standing laws. And in the recess of the Senate, he may fill any vacancy in those offices, until the next session of the Senate. He shall receive all ambassadors and other public ministers. He shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed. He shall inform the legislature, from time to time, of the condition of the Republic, and recommend any public measures for their adop- tion which he may think expedient. He may, after conviction, remit any public forfeitures and penalties, and grant reprieves and pardons for public offences, except in cases of impeachment. He may require any information and advice from any public officer, touching matters pertaining to his office. He may, on extraordinary occasions, convene the legislature, and may adjourn the two houses, whenever they cannot agree as to the time of adjournment. Section 2. There shall be a Vice-President, who shall be elected in the same manner, and for the same term, as that of the President, and whose qualifications shall be the same ; he shall be President of the Senate and give the casting vote when the house is equally divided on any subject. And in case of the removal of the President from office, or his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice-President, and the Legislature may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inability, both of the President and Vice- President, declaring what officer shall then act as President ; and such officer shall act accordingly, until the disability be removed, or a President shall be elected. Section 3. The Secretary of State shall keep the records of the State, and all the records and papers of the legislative body, and all other public records and documents, not belonging to 312 TREASUEED MOMENTS. any other department, and shall lay the same, when required, before the President or legislature. He shall attend upon them when required, and perform such other duties as may be enjoined by law. Section 4. The Secretary of the Treasury, or other persons who may by law be charged with the custody of the public moneys, shall, before he receives such moneys, give bonds to the State, with sufficient sureties, to the acceptance of the legisla- ture, for the faithful discharge of his trust. He shall exhibit a true account of such moneys when required by the President or legislature ; and no moneys shall be drawn from the trea- sury, but by warrant from the President, in consequence of appropriation made by law. Section 5. All ambassadors and other public ministers and consuls, the secretary of state, of war, of the treasury, and of the navy, the attorney-general, and postmaster-general, shall hold their offices during the pleasure of the President. All justices of the peace, sheriffs, marshals, clerks of courts, registers, and notaries public, shall hold their office for the term of two years, from the date of their respective commissions; but may be removed from office within that time by the Presi- dent, at his pleasure; and all other officers, whose term of office may not be otherwise limited by law, shall hold their office during the pleasure of the President. Section 6. Every civil officer may be removed from office by impeachment, for official misconduct. Every such officer may also be removed by the President, upon the address of both branches of the legislature, stating the particular reasons for his removal. Section 7. No person shall be eligible to the office of Presi- dent who has not been a citizen of this Republic for at least five years, and shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years; and who shall not be possessed of unincumbered real estate, of not less value than six hundred dollars. Section 8. The President shall at stated times receive for his services a compensation which shall neither be increased AMERICAN SLAVERY. 313 nor diminished, during the period for which he shall have been elected. And before he enters on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation : " I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the Republic of Liberia, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the consti- tution, and enforce the laws, of the Republic of Liberia." ARTICLE IV. JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT. Section I. The "judicial power of this Republic shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and such subordinate courts as the Legislature may from time to time establish. The judges of the Supreme Court, and all other judges of courts, shall hold their office during good behaviour ; but may be removed by the President, on the address of two-thirds of both houses for that purpose, or by impeachment and conviction thereon. The judges shall have salaries established by law, which mav be increased, but not diminished, during their continuation in office. They shall not receive any other perquisite or emolu- ments, whatever, from parties or others on account of any duty required of them. Section 2. The Supreme Court shall have original jurisdic- tion in all cases affecting ambassadors or other public ministers and consuls, and those to which the Republic shall be a party. In all other cases the Supreme Court shall have appellate juris- diction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions and under such regulations as the legislature shall from time to time make. ARTICLE V. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS. Section 1. All laws now in force in the Commonwealth of Liberia, and not repugnant to this constitution, shall be in force as the laws of the Republic of Liberia, until they shall be repealed by the legislature. Section 2. All judges, magistrates, and other officers now concerned in the administration of justice in the Common- 314 TREASURED MOMENTS. wealth of Liberia, and all other existing civil and military officers therein, shall continue to hold and discharge their respective offices in the name and by the authority of the Republic, until others shall be appointed and commissioned in their stead pursuant to this constitution. Section 3. All towns and municipal corporations within this Republic, constituted under the laws of the Commonwealth of Liberia, shall retain their existing organisations and privileges ; and the respective officers thereof shall remain in office, and act under the authority of this Republic, in the same manner and with the like powers as they now possess under the laws of said Commonwealth. Section 4. The first election of President, Vice-President, senators, and representatives, shall be held on the first Tuesday in October, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and forty-seven, in the same manner as elections of members of the Council are chosen in the Commonwealth of Liberia ; and the votes shall be certified and returned to the Colonial Secretary, and the result of the election shall be ascertained, posted, and notified by him, as it is now by law provided in case of such members of Council. Section 5. All other elections of President, Vice-President, senators, and representatives, shall be held in the respective towns on the first Tuesday in May, in every two years, to be held and regulated in such manner as the legislature may by law prescribe. The returns of votes shall be made to the secretary of state, who shall open the same, and forthwith issue notice of the election to the persons apparently so elected senators and representatives ; and all such returns shall be by him laid before the legislature at its next ensuing session, together with a list of the names of the persons who appear by such returns to have been duly elected senators and representatives ; and the persons appearing by said returns to be duly elected shall proceed to organise themselves accordingly as the Senate and House of Representatives. The votes for President shall be sorted, counted, and declared AMERICAN SLAVEKY. 315 by the House of Representatives. And if no person shall appear to have a majority of such votes, the senators and representatives present shall, in convention, by joint ballot, elect from among the persons having the three highest num- bers of votes a person to act as President for the ensuing term. Section 6. The legislature shall assemble once at least in every year, and such meeting shall be on the first Monday in January, unless a different day shall be appointed by law. Section 7. Every legislator and other officer appointed under this constitution shall, before he enters upon the duties of his office, take and subscribe a solemn oath or affirmation to support the constitution of this Republic, and faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of such office. The presiding officer of the Senate shall administer such oath or affirmation to the President, in convention of both houses ; and the President shall administer the same to the Vice- President, to the senators, and to the representatives in like manner. If the President is unable to attend, the chief justice of the Supreme Court may administer the oath or affirmation to him, at any place, and also to the Vice- President, senators, and representatives, in Convention. Other officers may take such oath or affirmation before the President, chief justice, or any other person who may be designated by law. Section 8. All elections of public officers shall be made by a majority of the votes, except in cases otherwise regulated by the constitution or by law. Section 9. Offices created by this constitution, when the circumstances of the Republic do not require that they shall be filled, shall not be filled until the legislature shall deem it necessary. Section 10. The property of which a woman may be possessed at the time of her marriage, and also that of which she may afterwards become possessed, otherwise than by her husband, shall not be held responsible for his debts, whether contracted before or after marriage. 316 TREASURED MOMENTS. Nor shall the property thus intended to be secured to the woman be alienated otherwise than by her free and voluntary consent, and such alienation may be made by her either by sale, devise, or otherwise. Section 11. In all cases in which estates are insolvent, the widow shall be entitled to one-third of the real estate, during her natural life, and to one-third of the personal estate, which she shall hold in her own right, subject to alienation by her, by devise or otherwise. Section 12. No person shall be entitled to hold real estate in this Republic unless he be a citizen of the same. Nevertheless, this article shall not be construed to apply to colonisation, missionary, educational, or other benevolent institutions, so long as the property or estate is applied to its legitimate purposes. Section 13. The great object of forming these colonies being to provide a home for the dispersed and oppressed children of Africa, and to regenerate and enlighten this benighted continent, none but persons of colour shall be admitted to citizenship in this Republic. Section 14. The purchase of any land by any citizen or citizens from the aborigines of this country, for his or their own use, or for the benefit of others, as estate or estates in fee simple, shall be considered null and void to all intents and purposes. Section 15. The improvement of the native tribes and their advancement in the arts of agriculture and husbandry being a cherished object of this government, it shall be the duty of the President to appoint in each county some discreet person, whose duty it shall be to make regular and periodical tours through the country, for the purpose of calling the atten- tion of the natives to these wholesome branches of industry, and of instructing them in the same ; and the legislature shall, as soon as can conveniently be done, make provision for these purposes by the appropriation of money. Section 16. The existing regulations of the American AMERICAN SLAVERY. 317 Colonisation Society, in the Commonwealth, relative to emigrants, shall remain the same in the Republic, until regulated by compact between the Society and the Republic : nevertheless, the Legislature shall make no law prohibiting emigration. And it shall be among the first duties of the Legislature to take measures to arrange the future relations between the American Colonisation Society and this Republic. Section 17. This constitution may be altered whenever two-thirds of both branches of the legislature shall deem it necessary. In which case the alterations or amendments shall first be considered and approved by the legislature, by the concurrence of two-thirds of the members of each branch, and afterwards by them submitted to the people, and adopted by two-thirds of all the electors at the next biennial meeting for the election of senators and representatives. Done in Convention at Monrovia, in the county of Mont- serado, by the unanimous consent of the people of the Com- monwealth of Liberia, this twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, and of the Republic the first. In witness whereof we have hereto set our names. S. BENEDICT, President, ^ J. N. LEWIS, H. TEAGE, BEVERLY R. WILSON, ^ M ^,erado County. ELIJAH JOHNSON, J. B. GRIPON, J JOHN DAY, > A. W. GARDNER. AMOS HERRING, f arand Bassa Couut ^ EPHRAIM TITLER, J R. E. MURRAY, County of Since. J. W. PROUT, Secretary of Convention. 318 TREASURED MOMENTS. FLAG AND SEAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA. THE following Flag and Seal were adopted by the con- vention, as the insignia of the Republic of Liberia, and ordered to be employed to mark its nationality. ' Flag : six red stripes with five white stripes alternately, displayed longitudinally. In the upper angle of the flag, next to the spear, a square blue ground covering in depth five stripes. In the centre of the blue, one white star. Seal : a dove on the wing, with an open scroll in its claws, A view of the ocean, with a ship under sail. The sun just emerging from the waters. A palm tree, and at its base a plough and spade. Beneath the emblems, the words REPUB- LIC OF LIBERIA ; and above the emblems, the national motto, THE LOVE OF LIBERTY BROUGHT US HERE. The former seal of the Commonwealth is ordered to be used until that for the Republic shall be engraved. By order of the Convention, S. BENEDICT, President. COLONISATION : ITS PRINCIPLES AND AIMS* FORTY-TWO years ago, the Rev. Robert Finley, of New Jersey, developed, in the City of Washington, the idea of planting a colony in Africa, that might induce the free people of colour " to go and settle there." He was moved, he said, by " their increasing numbers and their increasing wretchedness." Commended by some, ridiculed by others, but proclaiming * Extracts from an address by John H. B. Latrobe, President of the American Colonisation Society, at the Anniversary Meeting of the American Colonisation Society, held in the Smithsonian Institute, Washington City, January 18, 1859. AMERICAN SLAVERY. 319 to all that he knew the scheme was from God, he persevered, until in December, 1816, the American Colonisation Society was organised. Here, his existence seemed to culminate. He then went home and died. Before the exploring expedition sailed, he was in his grave. We meet, to-night, to report progress in his plan. We have been gradually advancing in the prosecution of it. If our steps have been unequal, they have been unfaltering. The colony has become a Republic. Recognised by many among the leading nations of the world, it is now known every- where as the independent government of Liberia. It is still feeble, but it stands alone. It possesses the ele- ments of future strength. It has good laws well administered, churches and schools, the mutual aid societies of more advanced communities, agricultural exhibitions even, with their annual prizes, a militia tried and not found wanting, a traffic with the interior, a foreign commerce. Light-houses guide ships into the ports to substitute for the slave-trade something better in the sight of God and man. With a government modelled after our own, with rulers chosen, and well chosen too, thus far, by themselves, with a soil to which they are akin, capable of self-support, self- government, and self-defence, the people of Liberia are slowly developing a distinct nationality. No longer mere emigrants from the United States experimenting doubtfully, they are Liberians, Americo-Liberians as their phrase is, looking for- ward to a future of their own. Fast losing our traditions, they aim at becoming historical themselves. Meanwhile, with steady purpose, they pursue quietly and honourably the course of their destiny. The first condition of colonisation has thus been fulfilled. It remains to be seen whether the second will be accomplished : whether the free people of colour will be induced, in Finley's words, to " go and settle " in the home that has been prepared for them, thus bringing about the avowed object of our organ- isation " theti removal with their own consent to Africa." 320 TREASURED MOMENTS. To prepare for and facilitate this removal, we have been more than forty years at work. The census of 1820 gave a free coloured population of 233,534. In 1850, it amounted to 434,495. It is now, pro- bably, half a million. It has more than doubled since our Society was founded ; while the emigrants in Liberia and their descendants do not exceed twelve thousand souls. Not a twentieth part of the increase has been removed by us. Our toil, apparently, has resulted in less than "a drop in the bucket." How vain then, say our unfriends, must be our efforts for the removal of the mass. We admit it frankly. We go further : we admit, that if such removal depended upon the American Colonisation Society, even though Congress threw open to it the treasury of the nation, the work would never be accomplished, and the scheme would be the delusion it has so often been proclaimed. This, however, is not the true view of colonisation. Money alone may suffice to plant a colony and facilitate the earlier emigration ; but it is powerless to control the affections, power- less to sever the ties that bind to hearth-stone and grave-stone, to give the weak strength, the timid confidence. And yet, all this must be effected in the transplantation of a people. The reliance of colonisation, in this regard, is neither upon strength of organisation, nor boundlessness of resource, but upon one of the commonest of all the impulses of humanity THE DESIRE TO BETTER ONE^S CONDITION. It is this which brings the European to America, which takes the Englishman to Asia and Australia. Clive and Warren Hastings owed it their wealth and their renown. It has built up for us, in ten years, an empire, in resources and extent, on the Pacific. IT WILL CARRY TO AFRICA EVERY FREE PERSON OF COLOUR IN AMERICA. They will go there, not because fascinated by the eloquence of colonisation agents ; not for want of love to the land they leave ; but they will go " to better their condition/' They will go, too, ultimately, when the exodus of the mass AMERICAN SLAVERY. 321 takes place, at their own expense. Commerce will furnish the ships to carry them; thus acquitting itself, in part, of the debt contracted to the race when it brought them originally to our shores. All that colonisation has done, or aimed at doing, has been in view of this voluntary, self-paying, ultimate, emigration ; an emigration that finds its precedents in the history of every people, from the nomadic tribe, whose encampment shifts with failing springs or withering pasturages, to the community that, driven by religious persecution from the old world, landed from the May-flower, or that which encountered the perils of Cape Horn, attracted by the gold fields of California. In this, the true aspect of colonisation, it is independent of the showings of the census. It is to be judged, rather, by what has been already effected in Africa, and by the probable future of the free people of colour in America. Were Africa as attractive to the latter as America is to the European and it is in the power of Colonisation Societies, with their limited means even, to make it so, or, were the repulsions of this country to influence them as do those, for example, of Great Britain the Irish, the emigration to Liberia, for a single year, of the same numbers that com- merce, in a single year, has brought from the Old World to the New would suffice for the removal of the free ; and a like emigration, continued for some seven or eight years, for the removal of both slave and free, were both at liberty to depart. Doubling the time, to allow for increase during the process, and the entire removal would fall within twenty years. But so speedy a removal is impossible. The case is put for illustration only. Years must elapse before the increase even can be approximated. Time and circumstances, however, are competent to the work. Time, so powerful, so unheeded ; circumstances, beyond all control, and which time is render- ing irresistible. We have here two distinct races, the white and the coloured : the latter, originally slaves, consisting now of slaves and freemen. 322 TREASURED MOMENTS. The slave protected, provided with food, shelter, and rai- ment, treated in the vast majority of cases kindly, affection- ately often is without care as regards his physical wants, and with constitutional good humour passes happily, in the main, through life. The free, on the other hand, without an especial protector, dependent upon himself alone, living, as the bills of mortality seem to show, a shorter life than the slave, and made to feel in a thousand ways his social and political inferiority, either frets away existence in aspirations which, here, can never be realised, or, yielding hopelessly to circumstances, falls with benumbed faculties into a condition that is little better than the slave's. Colonisation concerns itself with the free alone. Their con- dition has long been appreciated. As early as 1788, "Brissot, hight de Warville, friend of the blacks," as Carlyle calls him, travelling in this country, says of them, that, " deprived of the hope of rising to places of honour or trust, they seem con- demned to drag out their days in a state of servility/' Finley dwelt on their " increasing numbers and increasing wretched- ness," in 1815. The Society's first memorial to Congress, in 1817, signed by its great and good President, Judge Washing- ton, refers to their condition as " low and hopeless." It was worse than it had been ; for La Fayette, when here in 1824, is reported to have remarked upon its deterioration as com- pared with what it was at the Revolution. That it was universally recognised as bad, and that the hope of improving it was a leading motive with the earlier colonisationists, in 1816, is unquestionable. And yet, in 1816, and for years afterwards, the days were halcyon days, comparatively, for the free people of colour. No strife with the whites for employment then. There was work for all. No feeling of antagonism between the races. The foreign immigration immaterial, to the coloured man's great relief. Certain kinds of labour his, by prescription. In competition with the whites, he most frequently the favoured AMEEICAN SLAVERY. 323 one. Societies to protect him from imposition, everywhere. Affections born at the breasts of slave nurses, fostered when playing with slave children, still lingered around the race made free. But what is their condition now ? In individual cases, the free man of colour is wondrously improved. Better educated is he ; more refined ; with appreciative tastes, an elevated ambition, comfortable means, wealth, often. It would seem, indeed, that while Liberia was being built up, the race that were to rule it had been vindicating, in anticipation, their capacity to conduct affairs with intelligence and success. And yet, the condition of the free coloured population, as a class, is inferior, far, to what it was in 1816. They have been the victims of riots in more than one Northern and Western city. Excluded from many an accustomed calling, practically if not legally, in New York ; no longer stevedores, caulkers, or coal-heavers in Baltimore, or fireman on the South Western waters, or levee labourers in New Orleans ; crowded out of employment in the great hotels ; disappearing as domestics in private families they find, by sad experience, how irresistible is a white competition in a strife for bread. Legislation, too, has been invoked to straiten their condition. To prevent their increase, eman- cipations have been prohibited. Strenuous and continuous efforts, made under favourable circumstances, to put them on a footing of social equality with the whites have resulted only in increasing public prejudice. Courts of justice have recog- nised the existence of this feeling, and even in those States which boast peculiar sympathies in their behalf, the distinc- tion of caste pervades practically, so far as they are concerned, the entire community, both socially and politically. And why shoidd all this be ? Why, at least, have the free coloured people not been permitted to maintain the kindlier relations, indifferent as they were, of half a century ago ? Personally, they have not deteriorated in the interval. They voted in Maryland up to 1809 ; and the popular almanack, at x 2 324 TREASURED MOMENTS. the beginning of the present century, in the States of Penn- sylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, was the work of Benjamin Banneker, an individual of unmixed African descent. Why then the change in question ? There is but one cause to which it can be attributed, the increase of our aggregate population. The two races are coming, day by day, into closer contact. Collisions, of old unknown, are beginning to occur between the masses of the respective populations. The old story of the Spaniard and the Moor is being re-enacted in our midst. We are but illustrating the law that invariably prevails, where two races that cannot amalgamate by intermarriage occupy the same land": t " This it is, and nothing more." In the State of Maryland, for example, there is already a redundant free coloured population, amounting to thirteen per cent, of the aggregate. In Pennsylvania, the proportion is but two and three-tenths per cent. In Massachusetts, less than one per cent. In Connecticut, less than two per cent. In Ohio, one and three-tenths per cent. In New York, one and six-tenths per cent. There are more free people of colour in the slave State of Maryland than in the great free States of Ohio and New York put together. To Maryland, therefore, rather than to any other State, may we look for the consequences of that increase in the aggregate of population, to which we have attributed the change for the worse, which, in fifty years, has taken place in the condition of the free people of colour^ And what is the experience of Maryland of Maryland, whose kindness, practically, to the class in question is to be inferred from the crowd that has collected within her borders of Maryland, which has expended more than a quarter of a million in promoting colonisation, and which, when unable for a season to pay the interest on her public debt, never withheld for an instant her annual subsidy of ten AMERICAN SLAVERY. 325 thousand dollars to the feeble colony that had been founded under her auspices on the coast of Africa ? All her legisla- tion looks to the necessity of separation. Laws, already stringent, are sought to be made still more so ; and the reasons given by men of high character, assembled in conven- tion on the eastern shore of the State, all resolve themselves into the " existence of the present immense number of free negroes." Nor is Maryland alone in these views. A winter rarely passes without the introduction into state legislatures of measures prejudicial to the free people of colour ? And even where there is no legislative action, there is an unwillingness to see their numbers multiply, which, year after year, is becoming more decided and demonstrative. What then can be their anticipations ? Apprehensive, as the intelligent among them must be, of the future, hopeless, surely, of bettering their condition where they are, -whither can they look? They have already tried Hayti and found it wanting. Alike in colour, unlike in all other respects, they have neither affinities nor sympathies with its people. They have no desire to be hewers of wood and drawers of water in the British colonies of Trinidad and Demerara. They fully appreciate the motives of those who invite them to the West Indies. With no spot on the American continent, not appro- priated to the white man's use, and his exclusively, whither can they go to avoid the throng of multiplying thousands now competing with them in all the avenues of labour ? Whither, when the West, which now, by absorbing the foreign immigra- tion, relieves them from the pressure on the seaboard that would otherwise crush them against the wall, whither, when the West too shall have a redundant population, whither shall they go? Whither, but to Africa, to that Africa of the tropics, where climate, genial and salubrious to the descendants of the soil, protects them, as with a wall of fire, against the encroachments of the white man, guards the headland, sentinels the mine, and stays, even on the very border of the 326 TREASURED MOMENTS. sea, on the river, and in the forest, that march of empire which pestilence alone can check ? There may be some who imagine we are false prophets of evil ; some who, in the sunshine of to-day, hope that the sky will never be obscured. Only a portion of our story has been told, however. " Be- holding the little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand," pregnant with increasing evil to the free people of colour, we would urge them to better their condition by removal, " before the heaven was dark with wind and rain." In doing so, we have dealt with the developments of to-day alone. Our calculations come up to the seventh census only. But what will be the showing of the census of 1900. Judging from the past decades, our population will then exceed ninety-eight million. Many of my hearers will live to verify the estimate. In threescore years and ten, the scriptural limits of a man's life, the fifteenth census will bring our numbers near to two hundred and forty million. Children are living who will be counted among these millions in 1930. If then we are correct in attributing the present condi- tion of the free people of colour to the addition of twenty- one million to the aggregate population of 1816, assuming the latter to have been nine million, and the total now to be thirty million, what will be their condition, when we number sixty-eight million more ; and what again, when we add two hundred and ten million to the population of to-day? We commend the question to every lover of his country. Earnestly, solemnly, as a friend, who " for more than thirty years has laboured in their behalf, we commend it to every free coloured man in America. Had Ireland, in 1847, been inhabited by white and free coloured men in the Maryland proportions, influenced, too, by like feelings, which would have borne the brunt of the great famine ? The famine of 184-7 is not the last that may occur in the AMERICAN SLAVERY. 327 history of the world. Those who anticipated its coming by emigration to America to better their condition, " before the heaven was dark with wind and rain," manifested a wisdom that we do not venture to hope will be exhibited here, in a similar emigration to Africa, for years to come. The free coloured people themselves, however, are unwittingly has- tening such a result. They resolve, for instance, in Ohio, that "a combination of capital and labour will, in every field of enterprise, be their true policy ; that combination stores of every kind, combination work-shops, combination farms, will, if everywhere established, greatly increase their wealth, and with it their power." And they publish these resolu- tions, too, as if to place themselves in direct antagonism to the whites, as a distinct race with separate interests, struggling for power. They are provoking a contest which the com- monest prudence counsels them to postpone or to avoid. They are seeking a strife in which they cannot but be worsted. They are warring, not against colonisationists, " who," to use their own words, " would induce them to emigrate to Africa or elsewhere/' but against the inevitable future ; and their pros- pect of success is in exact proportion to their ability to diminish the increase of our population, or to paralyse our wondrous and unprecedented development. In all this, they are but working out their destiny- but accelerating the approach of that voluntary, self-paying emigration, which will be the fruition of the colonisation scheme : a scheme to succeed fully, perhaps, after generations only ; but thoroughly meeting all the exigencies of the future ; the work of friends, not unfriends ; counselling, not compelling ; leaving the irre- solute, the inert, the unfitted, the visionary, to linger out existence where they are ; but proclaiming to the ambitious, the energetic, the intelligent, and the brave, new fields of enterprise beyond the sea, where talent, capital, and labour, instead of being confined to stores and workshops, may be devoted to the development of a nation's prosperity and renown. 328 TREASURED MOMENTS. Nor are there wanting still higher motives to suggest to those for whom the Colony, proposed by Finley, has been founded, to induce them " to go and settle there." As a mis- sionary people, theirs will it be to influence and control the destinies, to a great extent, of the vast continent to which they will bear the blessed truths of that religion whose tem- ples, in the fulfilment of prophecy, must yet be reflected in the tranquil waters of the Tsad and the Ngami, as- semble their thousands of worshippers in the broad valley of the Niger, and commemorate the exploit of Livingstone, as they arise along his route on the banks of the Leeba and the Zambesi. But it may be said, that in the next forty or seventy years the free coloured population will be lost sight of, even should it remain here, as a turbid confluent is lost in the clearer hue of the great river to whose volume it forms but an inconsidera- able addition. It might be so, were the "wretchedness" referred to a matter of proportion. But, due as it is to the aggregate of population, the pressure will be regulated by the density of the mass. White striving with white, as well as white with coloured, will feel it ; with this difference, that where there is -not bread enough for both, those will be the greatest sufferers who are socially and politically the weakest. Regarding Liberia, then, as the means of obviating results which, were there no Liberia, would be among the gloomiest apprehensions of coming years, we can hardly place too high an estimate upon what has been accomplished by colonisation. As well might we disregard the feeble thread of water that trickles across the levee, when the Mississippi, at the season of its floods, threatens to "o'erbear its continents/' as dis- regard Liberia in its relations to the United States : for as the one may prove the outlet through whose wasting borders the swollen and unbridled stream, fertilising even where it over- whelms, may sooner find the Gulf of Mexico, so the other may become the means by which the increasing and redundant AMERICAN SLAVERY. 329 volume of our free coloured population may diffuse over another land the civilisation and religion it has accumulated during its abode in this. Not only may we not disregard Liberia, but we feel as though we did not dare to doubt its destiny. This is not the occasion to reiterate the oft-told story of Plymouth and Jamestown. We all know how long it was before success crowned the efforts of those who laid the foun- dations of New England, and how little it was that Smith, who strode, like a paladin of old, through the forests of the New World, was able to accomplish in the establishment of Virginia. The wisdom and the chivalry of Europe were represented in the contest with the wilderness of America; and King Philip at Mount Hope, and Powhatan on the James river, vindicated, in many a bloody contest, the valour and the prowess of the race whose last lingering remnants now seek, in vain, towards the setting sun, a refuge from the overwhelming wave of a civilisation which not even Christianity may moderate that they may be preserved. But how different was it on the coast of Africa? A few emancipated slaves, a few free people of colour, ignorant and inexperienced, footsore and weary, landed at Monrovia, main- tained themselves against the natives, who would have driven them into the sea, received, slowly, year after year, accessions from America, and by degrees acquiring strength and, making no step backward, finally proclaimed their independence, and are now the people we have described. What could have strengthened such weak hands, save the blessing of Him from whom cometh every good and perfect gift? Nor can we doubt that the blessing will be continued unto the end ; and we look forward to the future of Liberia as we do to the future of California and Oregon ; and we are not more certain that a teeming white population will line the Sacramento and the Columbia, than we are that the free coloured people of the United States and their descendants will carry our language and our institutions up the Cavalla 330 TREASUHED MOMENTS. and the St. Paul's, and, crossing the dividing mountains, make them familiar to the heart of Central Africa. For the accomplishment of these results, we rely neither upon the spirit of adventure, such as animates the young, and is fitful and capricious ; upon the love of gold operating on all, but requiring a California or an Australia for its full develop- ment; upon religious excitement, which too often exhausts itself far short of the mark it aims at ; upon political aspira- tions or patriotic impulses: but our reliance is upon the inevitable increase of our aggregate of population. Adventure may die out, gold may pall, religion become apathetic, politics inoperative, and patriotism a dream ; but years after years will, nevertheless, add their hundreds of thousands to the numbers of our people, until the ninety-eight millions of 1900 will be made up, and the two hundred and forty millions of the fifteenth census will be completed. So noiseless is this mighty increase that we no more heed it than we do the flight of the hours that hastens the results that it involves. We note the progress of the tide as it creeps upwards on the sand the shadows as they lengthen with the waning day, for we walk the beach and watch the dial ; but the growth of the population of a country, vast as ours, is beyond the limit of daily individual observation, and, exhibited only in statistics, too dull to have an interest for the mass, neither teaches nor warns, until both teaching and warning may be too late. Just now, however, there is much restlessness among the free people of colour in many parts of the Union. Sometimes it exhibits itself in plans for obtaining information ; some- times, in combination resolutions ; sometimes, in an emphatic determination to remain where they are as if colonisation, instead of offering them an asylum, sought to force them into exile. But, whatever form this restlessness assumes, it proceeds from a doubt, fast becoming general, whether America, after all, is more than a temporary abiding-place ; a doubt suggested, not, as often asserted, by colonisationists, but by circumstances AMERICAN SLAVERY. 331 wholly beyond their control, and which, having foreseen, they have provided against in the establishment of Liberia. Great events in the world's history rarely come unheralded to those who watch the portents of the times. Washington, Napoleon, Cromwell, were the developments of long germinat- ing principles, the maturities of years of preparation. When they appeared, everything was in readiness, and their missions were accomplished. So, we humbly hope, has it been with colonisation. It exists, because the time for it has arrived. The opposition it has encountered, the vituperation with which it has been assailed, the slowness of its progress, have all had their uses in perfecting it. The day of its ordeal has not yet drawn to a close. But the cloud that retards, the sunshine that hastens maturity, are incidents only in the history of the golden fruit that blushes at its own beauty before autumn's gaze. So with men and with nations. We may not prejudge their destiny from the isolated facts of their existence; but gathering the whole into one category, find in the result the evidence of that overruling wisdom that makes all discord harmony in the accomplishment of its designs. It is in this connection that the interest which has of late years sprung up in regard to Africa is not without its signifi- cance. Half a century and more ago, Park lost his life at Boussa, and no man was tempted to enterprise in the direction of his grave. Northern Africa was the corsairs'. Egypt obeyed the Mamelukes. Belzoni had not pierced the Pyramid. Few were the strangers who inclined the ear at sunrise before the vocal Memnon. The Cape of Good Hope was little more than a water station on the voyage to India. On the borders of Africa, the barracoon was the evidence of civilisation, and the maps presented the interior as a desert impassable by man. But presently, all this is changed. The corsair disappears. The Mamelukes are exterminated. The ascent and explora- tion of the pyramids, a canter across the plain of Thebes, become the pleasant incidents of a summer's tour. Civilisation marches, drums and trumpet in the van, perhaps, northward 332 TREASURED MOMENTS. from the Cape. The Christian church rises not unfrequently on the ruins of the barracoon. Denham sees the Tsad. Clap- perton finds his way to Sokatu. The Landers make their voyage down the Niger to the sea. Steam subsequently ascends the river. Caille becomes an explorer. Andersen is the hero of the Lake Ngami. Barth opens up another portion of the continent. Livingstone crosses it from St. Paul de Loando to Quillimane, and gives to the Niagara of Africa the name of the Queen of England. Missionaries multiply every- where. New maps are made, and cities and towns, and great rivers and lesser streams, and mountain ranges and interven- ing valleys, and divisions into kingdoms, whose rulers bear now familiar nameSj fill the void on the maps of the deserts of the old geographers. Cotemporaneous with all this activity, colonisation completes its experiment, and Liberia stands forth its illustration and its triumph. Commerce, too, the right arm of civilisation, the agent we rely on for the scheme we have at heart, has been busy in the interval. Palm oil has become a -necessity. Hides, camwood, ivory, gold-dust, gums, and spices, take the place of human beings in the traffic of the country. Steam carries the mails of Great Britain along the windward and leeward coasts to the islands at the bottom of the Bight of Biafra. At a recent meeting, in London, of the African Steamship Company, it was stated, that there were now "almost as frequent communications with the interior of Africa as ten or twelve years ago were had with Constantinople." Not the least interesting of the facts reported on this occasion, was the use that the native Africans were themselves beginning to make of the facilities which steam affords. " The number of negro passengers," it was said, " paying from five to ten dollars a head, had increased from eight to twelve hundred, and it was expected would soon be doubled from Sierra Leone to Lagos, and from the Bonny and the Palm Oil rivers to Cape Palmas and the Kroo country." Trade, in fact, is expanding itself in all directions. Cottons, with the stamp of the mills of Massachusetts, are found far AMERICAN SLAVERY. 333 inland among the native tribes on the banks of the Zambesi. New markets of immense extent are being opened virgin markets almost at a time, too, when all existing markets are glutted with the products of a manufacturing skill, whose faculty of supply, exceeding every present^ demand, requires just such a continent of consumers as Africa affords, a con- tinent whose wants are capable of doubling even the clatter of every loom and the ring of every anvil in Europe and America. Can it be, that this newly-awakened interest in Africa these new relations that are being established with its people are accidental merely, having no connection with the masses of free Christian and civilised descendants of Africans amongst us ? Can it be nothing more than a curious coincidence, that, when the time has come for the unsealing of a continent, that revelation may be inscribed there, this people the only people competent to the work should be found qualified to embark in it ; a people, too, that must go somewhere ? Is it not far more probable, that their existence here is but a part of that grand series of events that are to co-operate until prophecy shall be fulfilled ; not to-day or to-morrow, not in this generation or the next, but speedily, notwithstanding, looking to the scale of time by which are measured the epochs of society ? We are confident that we do not over-estimate our cause, when we place it in the relations that are here suggested. The test proposed upwards of eighteen hundred years ago, on a far more solemn occasion, when it was said, " Refrain from these men, and leave them alone ; for if this counsel or this work be of man, it will come to nought," is one which the past history of colonisation and Liberia has fully demonstrated their capa- city to stand. Forty-two years of labour have not been thrown away. Jefferson, Madison, Munroe, Marshall, Mercer, Harper, Randolph, Clay, supported not a cause which, in the hands of their successors, will fail to realise their expectations. Ash- mun, Buchanan, Randall, sleep not in vain beneath the palm 334 TREASURED MOMENTS. trees of Liberia. A new member has not been added to the family of nations without a mission to fulfil in the history of mankind. Ceasing to be ignored by the politicians of the day, philanthropy shall yet be thanked by statesmanship for its labours on the coasts of Africa. And the light which Park and Lander and Livingstone, the representatives of their periods of exploration, have shed on this great continent, and the feeling now pervading the world in its regard, shall yet guide and cheer the march of thousands and tens of thou- sands of emigrants ; a march as determined as that which brought forth Israel from beneath the shadow of the pyra- mids, as triumphant as that celebrated by Miriam's song ; a march heralded by the gospel, and bearing back to Africa, in the blessings of civilisation and religion, treasures more precious far than the gold and silver vessels of which Egypt was despoiled, in those days of old, when, with timbrels and dances, the prophetess proclaimed, " The horse and his rider are thrown into the sea." Preceded by no plagues, pursued after by no oppressors, protected by the " Bight Hand, glorious in power," such shall yet be the march of the free people of colour of our country ; and in the cities which they will build, the institutions they will establish, the laws they will maintain, and the knowledge they will impart, will be recognised the vindication of the holy confidence, the per- severing enthusiasm, that animated the founder of our society, when he proclaimed that "he knew the scheme was from God." S35 AMERICAN COLONISATION SOCIETY. THE following extracts are taken from the Forty-second Annual Report of the AMERICAN COLONISATION SOCIETY : The subject of emigration to Liberia has been a matter of consideration among the intelligent coloured people of Bar- badoes and in Canada, and it is probable that a sense of the disadvantages of their position, under the authorities of the English Government, may induce many of them, hereafter, to seek in that country a social and political equality which, if nominally, is not substantially theirs. The agricultural and other resources of Liberia, its admir- able free constitution of government, and the vast aboriginal population to which it opens access, render it to the civilised descendants of Africa in other countries the most promising field for their happiness and usefulness in the world. Those who in the early part of last year magnified a scarcity in Liberia into a famine, and sadly announced that the final day of that Republic was at hand, may be comforted to learn that such afflictions and forebodings found no place in the minds of the Liberians ; on the contrary, in their view, this scarcity proved a rich blessing. It wrought conviction in the minds of the people that their main reliance must be upon agricultural labour rather than upon a precarious trade with the natives. The industrious cultivation of the soil has abundantly supplied their necessities. President Benson, in his inaugural address of the 4th of January, alludes to the trials through which he had passed, and the circumstances which had encompassed him during the thirty-six years of his residence in Liberia, and devoutly acknowledges the goodness and wisdom of God in thus pre- 336 TREASURED MOMENTS. paring him to confide in the Divine Providence, without per- turbation or despondency, in hours of threatening changes or sudden eclipses of fortune. " I thank him for every soul and body trying incident through which I have had to pass ; for thereby having become inured to the greatest difficulties, and consequently endowed with fortitude, I happily escape the imaginary frightful hauntings by which some few have seemed really or pre- tendedly to be annoyed, around whom, in every imaginary direction, startling spectres of national dissolution arise on every trivial occasion. " Fellow-citizens, so far as Liberia is concerned, I have not for the last quarter of a century entertained a moment's despair of her success. The word despair has long since not only become obsolete in, but actually erased out of, my political vocabulary. The enterprise in which we are engaged is manifestly of God. The good, great, and wise men in the United States who projected the great colonisation scheme were influenced thereto by the Holy Spirit, and his special providence has been as unmistakably manifest in Liberia, during her entire history, as well as in supervising the counsels and operations of the society in the United States, as ever were the pillar of cloud by day, and of fire by night, to direct Israel's course to the land of promise. " It may appear, to some, fanatical in me when I assert that I do not believe it to be in the power of any man or set of men, whether in Liberia or in foreign lands, to defeat the purpose of Jehovah with regard to our country and our race." Again, he observes : " If the moral and industrial delinquencies of Liberia, from her incipiency to the present, equalled one-tenth of those delinquencies delineated in the histories of some of the American colonies for the same length of time, and number of inhabitants, perhaps my misgivings for the ultimate suc- cess of the enterprise would have overcome me, and I might AMERICAN SLAVERY. 337 have yielded to despair ; but until this is the case, I think reason and common sense dictate to Liberians to persevere and be of good cheer, and to regard all such malignant, shameless, and imbecile predictions with deserved contempt. Before the dismissal of this subject, will you indulge me with the privilege of a repetition of the sentiment to which I had the honour of giving expression on the 15th ult, on the memorable occasion of inaugurating our first national fair. It was simply this : ' That when Liberia fails, when her national existence terminates, I shall not only wish, but shall expect, the world to terminate simultaneously ; for Liberia is all the world to me, so far as temporal things are concerned ; and when she does fail, to me all the world will have failed, for I have and desire no other earthly home ; all my interest in the affairs of this world will have then come to an end.' " General health has prevailed, and the settlement of Careysburg, though slight cases of fever have occurred there, has demonstrated the superior salubrity of the interior and upland districts of the country. Agriculture is reported as improving, and the markets well supplied with the productions of the soil. Good potatoes can hardly realise twenty-five cents a bushel in the farming districts. In allusion to discouraging reports, President Benson wrote, December 12th, 1857 : " SIR, Our good friends in the United States must learn not to place one-fiftieth part of the stress they do upon letters received from persons in Liberia who were not designed by Providence to be of much service to the world. "Domestic provisions, bread-stuffs especially, were never so plentiful far, far exceeding the demand, "All proper seeing and feeling men in Liberia hesitate not to confess that the Republic was never in a^better condition (in reality) than it is now, notwithstanding the scarcity of money, which, however, is not restricted to Liberia." Y 338 TREASURED MOMENTS. In his last communication of October 4th, of this year, the President says : " Our crops have been unusually good this year. " The Americo-Liberians have raised enough this year to feed more than five times their number ; rice can be bought for cash at ninety cents per bushel (clean rice) ; potatoes twenty-five cents per bushel ; and varieties of other vegetables at rates equally cheap. ' There has been encouraging improvement in the breed and stock of poultry this year, and the increase has been no less than four hundred per cent." The large increase in the culture of the sugar-cane, cotton, coffee, and tobacco is also noticed, and it is added : " Our ensuing fair promises to be an interesting occasion. There is ten times more interest manifested this year than the last. " I am having the census taken with important statistics, agricultural and others, which I design to have printed in large pamphlet form in January, should life last." Of the national fair of December in last year, the Massa- chusetts report observes : " Premiums were awarded for the best specimens of coffee, of arrow-root, clean cotton, rice, ginger, potatoes, oxen, sheep, swine, turkeys, butter, preserves of various kinds, cloth and socks of African cotton, leather boots, soap, candles from palm oil ; ploughs, hoes, and other implements of iron and steel ; farina from various substances ; prepared chocolate ; planks, shingles, cabinet-work, and many other products of Liberian agriculture and manufactures. In all, one hundred and twenty premiums were awarded. "The result of this fair shows the variety of Liberian resources to be much greater than has been generally sup- posed, even by Liberians." The death of one of the most enterprising agriculturists in AMERICAN SLAVERY. S39 Liberia, J. M. Richardson, was mentioned in the last report, and that a large sugar mill, which, as stated in the report of the New York Society, cost the friends of the cause in that city over 6,000 dollars, was at the time of his decease on its way to him. No little delay has occurred in getting this large mill in operation, but William Spencer Anderson, a nephew of Mr. Richardson, who has succeeded to the farm of his uncle, will carry out his purposes. A smaller sugar mill, sent out in 1856, has been set in operation on the farm of the Messrs. Cooper, and when Mr. Cowan visited the place in January of last year, they were making 130 gallons of syrup a day, but had made as high as 150 gallons in a day. This syrup commands in Monrovia fifty cents per gallon by the barrel, and seventy -five cents by the single gallon. Cotton will be cultivated to some extent in Liberia, and in other parts of Africa, probably, with still greater success. Nearly three hundred cotton gins were shipped (says the New York report) to Western Africa during the last year, and readily sold for cash. On the 22nd of March, returned in the Stevens, the Rev. Alexander M. Cowan, agent of the Colonisation Society in Kentucky. Mr. Cowan proceeded with despatch to publish a full report of his observations in a book entitled " Liberia as I found it," a work bearing testimony to the earnestness and diligence of its venerable author. To great credit is the author entitled, for his persevering inquiries into the condition of the settlements of that Republic, and for the collection of the great body of facts which give interest and value to his publication. Hardly a question will present itself to the mind of a coloured man, in regard to Liberia, to which Mr. Cowan has not supplied an answer. Yet Mr. Cowan's time was too brief, we think, to enable him to weigh as accurately as could have been desired all the considerations before him ; yet he comes unhesitatingly to the conclusion that Liberia is the best home Y2 340 TREASURED MOMENTS. for emigrants, and that, "take Liberia as a whole, for climate, soil, water, productions, and adaptedness to the black race, he can honestly apply Isaiah, xxxiv. 17 to the blacks in our land, and to Liberia : ' He hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line ; they shall possess it for ever ; from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.' " No settlement has been planted on the highlands of the New Jersey district, for want of means and emigrants. The object awoke long since the attention of the New Jersey Legislature, and several thousand dollars were appropriated by that body to aid its accomplishment. President Benson urges that it be no longer postponed, and states that the people of Bassa are in high expectation of it. Unfortunately, the conditions upon which the directors recommended that this settlement should be founded, are still unfulfilled. The opinion is expressed by President Benson that a contribution of 1,200 dollars by the society, towards opening a wagon road to the site selected for the settlement, would call forth money or labour from the inhabitants sufficient to complete the work. From various considerations, the Executive Committee have been restrained from adopting measures to explore Yoruba, though the colonisation of that part of Africa is attracting much attention. On this subject President Benson expresses himself magnanimously regarding expense, if the means of the parties will warrant it, as a secondary consideration when compared with the noble enterprise, and the inestimable benefits that would result from permanent civilisation and Christianity in the heart of Africa. He suggests that, by a harmonious union of different missionary societies, a line of mission stations might be established from Liberia to meet a similar one extending from Yoruba towards Liberia, and together (each occupying a prescribed district) diffuse over a vast territory the benign and life-giving influences of the gospel. He adds : " As weak and as poor as this Government is I feel sure it would promptly co-operate in every possible AMERICAN SLAVERY. 34)1 way according to its ability." The writings and lectures of the Rev. T. J. Bo wen ; the recent explorations of the N iger for several hundred miles by the English ; the reports of many English missionaries ; the eloquent letter of the Rev. W. H. Clark, missionary of the Southern Baptist Board of Missions, published in the "African Repository" for April, have im- pressed the public with the importance of embracing the valley of the Niger within the great prospective hopes and benevolent influence of this society ; though we are fully persuaded that that valley may, at present, better be reached in its upper part from Liberia or its vicinity, than by way of its lower waters. And here it should be stated, that during his six years' resi- dence in Yoruba, as missionary of the Southern Baptist Board of Missions, the Rev. T. J. Bowen collected the materials for a grammar and dictionary of the Yoruba language, which have been carefully arranged, and rewritten with special care, by the aid of W. W. Turner, Esq., and accepted by the Smithsonian Institution for piiblication. These works are preceded by a brief account of the country and its inhabitants. The notice of this book in the last report of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution concludes in these words : " It is believed that this work will be received by the student of ethnology as an interesting addition to this science, and that its publication will not only facilitate the labours of the missionary, but be productive of valuable commercial results. The country in which the language is spoken is rich in natural and artificial productions, and as the inhabitants are anxious to establish relations of trade with other parts of the world, it would seem to offer a new and tempting field to mercantile enterprise." If, in the ordering of Providence, that event of the year, casting, in its first aspect, a shade upon the character and hopes of Liberia, should in the end add to her reputation, give new resolution to her friends, and brightness to her prospects, it will but further illustrate that Divine wisdom 34-2 TREASURED MOMENTS. which is able to defeat all evil counsels, prove strength to the upright, and exalt them of low degree. The details of the mutiny on board the French ship Regina Codi, near the coast of Liberia, in April last, are too well known to require recital here. The declared purposes of the founders of Liberia, her uniform policy, constitution, laws, and the profoundly expressed convictions both of her Government and people 'had, in this case, preserved her from suspicion ; but that men, guilty of crime, sought to shield their offence under her authority, and others, with as little reason and justice, stood anxious to find cause for her reproach and con- demnation. Her full and complete vindication is before the public in communications from her Government, in the monthly journal of the society, and especially in the able letter of its President to a Senator from South Carolina. Those acquainted with the history of this society know the relations existing between it and the Government, arising out of the provisions of the Act of Congress of March, 1819, for the restoration of recaptured Africans to their native land. On the 21st of August last, the slaver Echo, formerly the Putnam, of New Orleans, having more than 300 Africans on board, was captured by Lieut. J. N. Maffit, of the United States brig Dolphin, and on the 27th of the same month, delivered them into the custody of the United States Marshal at Charleston. The President, being convinced, to borrow his own words, " that there was no portion of the coast of Africa to which they could be removed with any regard to humanity, except to Liberia," on the 2nd of September contracted with this society that it should, on the landing of these Africans in Liberia, take charge of them for twelve months, supplying them not only with shelter, food, and clothing, but with medical attendance and with such instruction, both for children and adults, as should be found suited to their con- dition, and to prepare them for the duties of civilised life. The President and other authorities of the Government being intent upon carrying out, with all possible humanity, the AMERICAN SLAVERY. 343 provisions of the law, the noble steam frigate Niagara, Cap- tain Chauncey, was selected for this voyage of philanthropy ; yet we are compelled to record the appalling fact that thirty- two of these Africans died before leaving Charleston, and seventy-one on the passage to Liberia. Dr. Rainey was appointed, by the President, agent for recaptured Africans, to accompany these people and deliver them to the agent of the society in Monrovia. Nothing was neglected, on the part of the society, in mak- ing ample provision for the support and comfort of these Africans, after they should be placed under their care, in Liberia. By reference to the contract with the United States Government, it will be seen that the society had no responsi- bility in regard to these Africans during their passage. But as on their arrival at Monrovia they were to come under its protection, ample supplies of clothing and provisions were sent out in the Niagara to be used by the society's agent in Africa for their benefit. Immediately on their arrival, they were placed in the Receptacle of Monrovia under the care of a physician, as many of them were in a weak and diseased con- dition, produced by the terrible sufferings and exposures through which they had passed. Some of the youth will probably be educated in the mission- ary schools of Liberia ; the Presbyterian Board of Missions having cheerfully agreed to adopt eight, and afford them the advantages of education. The Rev. John Seys embarked in the Mary Caroline Stevens, November 1st, commissioned by the President of the United States, as agent for recaptured Africans, to reside upon the coast. This office had been held by Mr. Seys in former years, and his intimate acquaintance with the native African character, his practical good sense, his humanity and benevo- lence, well qualify him to become the teacher, guide, and benefactor of these unfortunate people. Since that time, some excitement has been produced by a report gf the unlawful importation of Africans into Georgia. 344 TREASURED MOMENTS. The President, in reply to a resolution of inquiry, has informed Congress that Africans have been so landed ; but that the publication of the whole correspondence on the subject, at present, would be imprudent. If these Africans, or any of them, ever come into the possession of the Government, so that our aid is needed in providing for their welfare, that aid will, of course, be promptly rendered. Endeavours have been made since the last general meeting to revive, in Congress, the bill for the exploration of the Niger, which two years ago passed the Senate ; and the cause of African exploration, generally, has been distinctly brought to the notice of the Government. How far present circumstances or recent events may invite a more systematic movement in that direction, may be worthy of consideration by this society. Probably the appointment of a general consular or commer- cial agent to reside in Africa, and authorised to accompany our squadron to the various points on the coast, to negotiate treaties of amity and commerce for the suppression of the slave trade with the native chiefs, to conciliate their regard, and by observation and inquiry to prepare the way, the means, and the agencies of civilisation, would accomplish a great good. We stand before the world as a Christian nation. By the people of the United States, since the origin of their Govern- ment, the African slave trade has been held as a crime an abomination. They pledged themselves with the great Powers, at the treaty of Ghent, for its suppression. By repeated Acts of Congress, by correspondence and treaties with foreign nations since that time, they have sought to fulfil that pledge. By the liberal construction given by Mr. Monroe to the Act of 3rd of March. 1819, and the first attempt in accordance there- with to restore recaptured Africans to their own country, was this society enabled to lay the foundations of the Republic of Liberia. Not by silver not by gold is to be estimated the value of this great achievement. Liberia has already proved a mighty agency against the slave trade; rescued from its horrors (except as slightly disturbed by French interference) AMERICAN SLAVERY. 34)5 more than five hundred miles of the African coast; and at a small cost effected more for its suppression than millions expended in other ways for that end could have done. If, then, humanity still more, if a sense of Christian duty be not a stranger to the hearts of the people of these United States, if from far-off fields of conflict and blood, from sur- prised and flaming villages, from torrid and tractless deserts, from the ocean, bearing onward reluctantly the cruel ship freighted with curses, and trembling with agony, the cries of the despairing and perishing come not unheeded to their ears, if the memory of the Divine mercies towards themselves, and the words of that mighty and constant Benefactor, whose com- passions abound over the whole world, be not forgotten, they must rejoice in the present moral effects and higher promised benefits of Liberia. They will naturally inquire whether measures to sustain the influence of that Republic, and to enlarge the system of colonisation in Africa, may not properly be commended to the thoughts of the States and of the Federal Government ; whether, for the promotion of human welfare, money could be more wisely expended than in the exploration of her rivers and territories, the encouragement of her industry and legitimate trade, and the development of her vast resources, all thus rendered subservient to her civilisation. Shall we hesitate to adopt the best means for so great an end ? Under the recommendation of the Board of Directors, at their annual meeting in 1856, the Executive Committee, in November of that year, expressed by resolution to President Benson : " That it would be highly gratifying to this Com- mittee, should he think proper to invite the consideration of the Liberian Legislature to the subject of the care and support of emigrants, and to the measures which, in their view, might be most economically and judiciously adopted for their benefit." In his last message, President Benson presents fully his own views of the matter, and expresses his hope that the United States Government will come to the aid of this society, and make arrangements by which the Liberian Government might 346 TREASURED MOMENTS. agree to support all emigrants from the United States, includ- ing recaptured Africans, for a reasonable annual compensation the emigrants not exceeding a definite number annually. The Legislature responded to the views of the President in his message, and expressed their concurrence in a preamble and resolutions. To these documents of the Liberian Government the Committee briefly replied, stating why, in their judgment, obstacles great, if not insurmountable, stood in the way of the course suggested in the document, and that they considered it inexpedient to recommend, in view of difficulties and objec- tions, further action on the subject. It is for the society to decide whether any events have since occurred which may suggest the propriety of a reconsideration of the subject. Adventurous travellers are still penetrating the hitherto un- known regions of Africa, ascertaining new paths for commerce and civilisation. Liberally rewarded and encouraged by the British Government, Dr. Livingstone has returned with unabated zeal to engage in new explorations, has ascended the River Zambesi, and made known a region well adapted to the growth of cotton. Captain Burten and Mr. Speik report the dis- covery of several strange tribes, never before visited by Euro- peans, in the vicinity of a great lake, south of Abyssinia. The purpose of the English to explore the Niger continues in un- abated strength. Animating intelligence has been received from the multi- plying missionary stations of Liberia, and from many other parts of Northern and Southern Africa. Native Africans have been educated for the Christian ministry, and many thousand native children are receiving instruction in mission schools, and made familiar with the primary lessons of Christianity. The immortal seed of Divine truth has been planted in many hearts opened to receive it, and the fruits of righteousness begin to adorn the lives of those but recently reclaimed from the cruel superstitions of a barbarous life. The student may find in some of the schools of Liberia the means of acquiring a respectable classical education. In Sierra Leone, young men AMERICAN SLAVERY. ' 347 are qualified for the ministry by instruction in Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic. In stating the results of missionary efforts in Western Africa during the last twenty-five years, the Princeton Review states recently : " What, then, has been effected in that time ? More than one hundred Christian churches have been organised in that country, and upwards of fifteen thousand hopeful con- verts have been gathered into those churches. Nearly two hundred schools are in full operation, in connection with these various missions, and not less than sixteen thousand native youths are receiving a Christian training in those schools at the present moment. More than twenty different dialects have been studied out and reduced to writing, into many of which large portions of the Sacred Scriptures, as well as other reli- gious books, have been translated among the people ; and we are no doubt in the bounds of truth and probability, when it is assumed that some knowledge of the Christian salvation has been brought, by direct means, within the reach of at least five millions of immortal beings, who had never before heard of the blessed name of the Saviour/' The college of Liberia will, it is expected, be soon opened for the admission of students. The New York State Society, in its last report, records the gratifying facts that " the income of the Bloomfield and Bever- edge Education Funds has enabled the managers of that society to extend aid to fifteen young men in the schools of Liberia, at Monrovia and Mount Vaughan." And, also, that in order to co-operate and aid in this effort to furnish a liberal education to the young men of Liberia, " one of the generous sons of this State has set apart twenty-five thousand dollars, and given it in trust to the New York State Colonisation Society, to be permanently invested, and its annual income used to support a professor in the college, and offer premiums for excellence in scholarship. This gift was made by Mr. Joseph 348 TREASURED MOMENTS. Fulton, of Vienna, New York, whose munificent act will entitle him to perpetual and grateful remembrance by all engaged in the colonisation enterprise. Many of the children of Africa will learn to venerate him as their benefactor and friend." This report justly concludes, that the gift to the American Colonisation Society of two thousand dollars by Henry Sheldon, Esq. ; the early but defeated purpose of the Young Men's Liberia Education Society to found a college in Liberia ; and the recent legacies of Mr. John Bloomfield, of Rome ; of Augustus Graham, Esq., of Brooklyn ; and of the late President of the New York Society, Anson G. Phelps, Esq., of New York City ; as well as the liberal gift of John Beveredge, Esq., of Newburgh, and the noble donation of Joseph Fulton, Esq., attest the deep sympathy felt in New York for the highest welfare of the African race. In the early part of this year, that enterprising and devoted missionary, the Rev. G. L. Seymour, who has established a mission station in the Bassa country, nearly one hundred miles interior from Bassa, was invited by President Benson to visit Monrovia, to obtain the means and fix upon the plan of exploring the country towards the Niger. The President gave to the object all the aid in his power, and invited his fellow- citizens to co-operate with the Government. Several hundred dollars were raised, and Mr. Seymour was advised, on-his first attempt, to proceed no further than the capital of the Man- dingo country. This is described as a large town, and no doubt was entertained that information could there be obtained of the country beyond, which would prepare for the second tour, with a view of arriving at a branch of the Niger. " Mr. Seymour," says President Benson, " is the man to do it, if it can be done." On the 1st of April, of this year, Mr. Seymour wrote from a little distance beyond his station, where he was engaged in adjusting certain difficulties between the neighbour- ing tribes by which the path was obstructed. He announced, on the 13th of April, that these difficulties were settled. "I have/' he observes, " as companions, Mr. William Taylor, of AMERICAN SLAVERY. 319 Philadelphia, and Mr. Lewis Ash, of Indiana. They are both men of enterprise for this work, and they begin to see that something can be done by way of developing the resources of the country ; and they will doubtless go to the United States with a concise report of their journey, and their professed intention is to awaken the interest of their brethren for the interior of Liberia, and if possible begin a settlement beyond its present limits a most worthy object indeed." President Benson wrote in September, that Mr. Seymour had been met by a Mandingo man, six weeks before, within three days' travel of the capital of the Mandingo country. We may now be looking for intelligence of his return to the coast. On the 8th of April last, the monument sent from this country was erected with appropriate ceremonies over the grave of the lamented and distinguished Governor Buchanan. An address was delivered by Dr. James F. Smith. Brief speeches were made by other citizens, and all the hearers manifested the profound regard cherished by them towards the character and fame of this eminent benefactor of Africa. Two young medical students from Liberia are now complet- ing their course of study at the Medical College of New Haven, Connecticut, while three coloured students of theology, at the Ashmun Institute, Oxford, Pennsylvania, are expecting to sail- for Liberia in May next, to enter upon their missionary labours amid those sitting in darkness, yet ready to welcome the messengers of Christ and hear of the light and deliverance of the gospel. The Ashmun Institute, honourable in its name, and founded in desires of good to the African race, especially designed to educate young coloured men of piety that they may become the teachers of their brethren in Africa, not less than in the United States, begins to share in the contributions of generous Christians, and to extend its advantages to those who aspire to the honours of a missionary life in the land of their fathers. Some years ago, her Britannic Majesty's Government pre- sented to Liberia the beautiful armed schooner Lark, and 350 TREASURED MOMENTS. recently agreed to have this vessel repaired at its expense. The Lark has been condemned, but a better vessel, the Quail, substituted in her place, which, after thorough repair at Ply- mouth, is to be sent as her Majesty's gift to the Liberian Government. This gift is bestowed, at the special instance of our countryman, Gerard Ralston, Esq., whose generous efforts for Liberia, as Consul-General of that Republic resident in London, cannot be too highly commended. CONSTITUTION OF THE AMERICAN COLONISA- TION SOCIETY. Article 1. This society shall be called "The American Colonisation Society/' Article 2. The object to which its attention is to be exclusively directed is, to promote and execute a plan for colonising, with their own consent, the free people of colour residing in our country, in Africa, or such other place as Con- gress shall deem expedient. And the society shall act, to ' effect this object, in co-operation with the general Govern- ment and such of the States as may adopt regulations on the subject. Article 3. Every citizen of the United States who shall have paid to the funds of the society the sum of one dollar shall be a member of the society for one year from the time of such payment Any citizen who shall have paid the sum of thirty dollars shall be a member for life. And any citizen paying the sum of one thousand dollars shall be a Director for life. Foreigners may be made members by vote of the society or of the Directors. Article 4. The society shall meet annually at Washington, on the third Tuesday in January, and at such other times and places as they shall direct. At the annual meeting, a Presi- AMERICAN SLAVERY. 351 dent and Vice-presidents shall be chosen, who shall perform the duties appropriate to those offices. Article 5. There shah 1 be a Board of Directors composed of the Directors for life and of delegates from the several State societies and societies for the district of Columbia and territories of the United States. Each of such societies shall be entitled to one delegate for every five hundred dollars paid into the treasury of this society within the year previous to the annual meeting. Article 6. The board shall annually appoint one or more Secretaries, a Treasurer, and an Executive Committee of seven persons ; all of whom shall ex offido be members of the Board, having a right to be present at its meetings and to take part in the transaction of its business ; but they shall not vote, except as provided in Article 7. Article, 7. The Board of Directors shall meet annually in Washington, immediately after the annual meeting of the society, and at such other times and places as it shall appoint, or at the request of the Executive Committee, and at the request of any three of the Auxiliary State Societies, communicated to the Corresponding Secretary. Seven Directors shall form a quorum. But if at any annual meeting, or meeting regularly called, a less number be in attendance, then five members of the Executive Committee, with such Directors, not less than four, as may be present, shall constitute a Board, and have competent authority to transact any business of the society; provided, however, that the Board thus constituted shall carry no question unless the vote be unanimous. Article 8. The Executive Committee shall meet according to its own appointment, or at the call of the Secretary. This Committee shall have discretionary power to transact the business of the society, subject only to such limitations as are found in its charter, in this constitution, and in the votes that have been passed, or may hereafter be passed, by the Board of Directors. The Secretary and Treasurer shall be members of the Committee ex officio, with the right to deliberate, but 352 TREASURED MOMENTS. not to vote. The Committee is authorised to fill all vacancies in its own body ; to appoint a Secretary or Treasurer whenever such offices are vacant ; and to appoint and direct such agents as may be necessary for the service of the society. At every annual meeting, the Committee shall report their doings to the society and to the Board of Directors. Article 9. This constitution may be amended, upon a pro- position to that effect by any of the societies represented in the Board of Directors, transmitted to the Secretary, and published in the official paper of the society, three months before the annual meeting ; provided such amendment receive the sanction of two-thirds of the Board at its next annual meeting. TWENTY REASONS FOR THE SUCCESS OF LIBERIA. 1. The African is there placed in a new and most favour- able position ; the very position which calls forth the energies of man, makes him respect himself, and causes him to be 2. The enterprise has the favour, and will realise the aid, of the civilised world, especially of the people of the United States. 3. It has the benefit of the greatest wisdom and most eminent virtue in this country to guide its counsels and to sustain its interests. ' 4. Common and universal education is made a leading object. 5. They are a very moral and religious people. 6. The political and civil polity of Liberia is securely estab- lished, in successful operation, and modelled after the best of English and American law. 7. The design of the enterprise is to develop African AMERICAN SLAVERY. 353 character, and to give full scope to its action, independent of the rivalship of the European race. 8. This great and single aim will be prosecuted, as we trust, with increased vigour, by the patrons of this cause in the United States. 9. It will be seen, therefore, that the fatal impediment to the improvement and elevation of the African race, which Euro- pean superiority has so long interposed in the juxtaposition of the two races, is for once, and at last, out of the way, in this interesting experiment. 10. Their past success and present prospects are sufficiently auspicious to augur a successful and triumphant result. 11. The Commonwealth of Liberia embodies all and the very elements essential to its success. They are a people living and working for themselves and their posterity, with a sense of the importance of their privileges and the value of their hopes. 12. The very smallness of their beginning, and the diffi- culties they have encountered, instead of being a discour- agement, are an earnest and the security of their ultimate success. 13. The success of this undertaking, under American counsels and patronage, is indispensable to our domestic tran- quillity and future prosperity as a nation. 14. Africa, after all, is one of the richest and best countries in the world, and Liberia may now be regarded as the eye and key of the continent, on the west. 15. The natives cannot oppose, and the civilised world will not. 16. They are secure of the increase of their numbers and of the extension of their jurisdiction, indefinitely, by emigration from the United States, and by the incorporation of native tribes. 17. The United States and Great Britain will be rival com- petitors for their commerce, and are likely to be so as patrons and guardians. z 354 TREASURED MOMENTS. 18. Eeligion and philanthropy are both combined in their behalf. 19. The Christian world will feel the debt they owe to Africa, for the wrongs they have done her, long enough, at least, to attain this great end. 20. The civilisation of Africa is indispensable to important political and commercial interests of the civilised world. A COMMON-SENSE INFERENCE. IN view of the facts stated in the preceding pages, it can hardly be denied it is even a wonder that any should deny that colonisation opens a most cheering prospect for this race. It has a higher, a nobler aim than to meddle with the domestic condition of our own country. In pity to the African here, and to the African there, and despairing of any other adequate and effectual relief for either, it has opened to the world one of the kindest and one of the most magnificent schemes that ever was devised a scheme which stands approved, and attracts admiration by the proof of experiment, and emits additional rays, even floods, of hope as it advances. It comprehends within the range of its benevolent designs the continent of Africa, with all her children, at home or far away. It pro- fesses, in the first place, to remove the free coloured people of this country, with their own consent, to the land of their fathers, where they shall be exempt from the rivalship of the white man; to establish them in an independent empire of their own; to endow them with the blessings of civilisation and of Christianity ; to invite and call into action all their powers as men ; to inspire them with all laudable motives of ambition ; to excite in them personal aspiration and the pride of national character ; to rear them to the growth of national sovereignty; to extend their jurisdiction indefinitely by the AMERICAN SLAVERY. 355 incorporation of the native tribes; to prepare them for the reception of such emigrants as may be disposed to flock from this country, when their prosperity shall be secured beyond any probable impediment ; to annihilate the slave trade ; to develop the physical capabilities of the African continent; to establish such relations between the United States and Africa as may promise to be of importance for political and commercial purposes, and to the mutual advantage of both parties; to make the African a man, to respect himself and be respected as a peer among his fellow-men ; to secure to him all those rights which are claimed and enjoyed by the most civilised and free States ; to convert the wide regions of African barbarism, heathenism, cruelty, and desolation, into a garden of civilisation, and to make it an eminent portion of Christendom ; to substitute the songs of freedom and of true religion for the groans of the slave and the despairing cries of the victims of superstition ; and finally, as we hope, to save our own country from that wreck into which the Abolition crusade of the North would plunge us, by enforcing a collision with the 'constitutional rights of the South. An effort that aims to redeem one continent, and to save another, with the faintest prospects of contributing to these sublime results, is worthy of all honour. POPULATION OF LIBERIA. IN his inaugural address, January 3rd, 1848, Gov. Roberts says : " According to the best computation I am at present able to make, and which I believe is pretty nearly correct, the popu- lation of Liberia Proper, including, of course, the aboriginal inhabitants who have incorporated themselves with us, and subscribed to the constitution and laws of the Republic, is now upwards of EIGHTY THOUSAND." z 2 356 TREASURED MOMENTS. THE OBJECTS OF THE FRIENDS OF COLONISATION. 1. To rescue the free coloured people of the United States from their political and social disadvantages. 2. To place them in a country where they may enjoy the benefits of free government, with all the blessings which it brings in its train. 3. To spread civilisation, sound morals, and true religion throughout the continent of Africa. 4. To arrest and destroy the slave trade. 5. To afford slave-owners, who wish or are willing to liberate their slaves, an asylum for their reception. There are, doubtless, other objects entertained by some of the advocates of colonisation ; but our aim is to represent comprehensively the principal and leading ones, and such as are recognised by all friends of the cause. STRAWS WHICH SHOW HOW THE WIND BLOWS. INDEPENDENCE OF LIBERIA. THE Republic of Liberia has taken her place among the independent nations of the earth. The Convention which assembled in July drafted a new constitution, which was voted upon and adopted by the people in September. We consider this event as a cause of profound gratitude to the great Ruler among the nations. How should every heart leap for joy at the sight of a young republic springing up on that dark and heathen coast ! We have been frequently asked, How will this change in the government of Liberia affect the Colonisation Society ? And AMERICAN SLAVERY. 357 we have uniformly answered, In the most favourable manner. Heretofore the society has appointed the Governor, and paid his salary. Now both these duties will be performed by the citizens of the Republic. Heretofore the society has held a veto power over all the laws passed in the Colonial Council ; but they have not had occasion to exercise this power in the last seven years. Now they surrender this power. In all other respects the society stands related to the colony just as it did before the change in their government It will continue to sympathise with them in all their trials, to aid them in all their noble endeavours to do good, and to send out emigrants to be incorporated into the republic, upon the terms, and with the same rights and privileges, as they have heretofore been. It ought to be distinctly understood, and constantly borne in mind, that this change in the relations of the society and the colony has been made with their mutual consent and co- operation. It has not had its cause or origin in any bad working of the previous system, but in the belief that other nations would more respect Liberia in her present than in her previous condition. It was also considered that the time had come when the coloured man should demonstrate to the world his competency to maintain an independent and national existence. Let nobody suppose that nou/ the work of colonisation is finished. By no means. Emigrants are yet to be sent to Liberia. And this new and independent aspect of Liberia places her claims upon new grounds. The institutions of education and religion are yet to be maintained and greatly enlarged. She must not now be left to struggle alone. She wants more men in every department. She must have edu- cated men to manage her affairs, and men with capital to carry on and extend her commerce. Such men are growing up in the colony. But they need more of them from this country. Let all the friends of colonisation redouble their diligence and their liberality in this work. The circumstances demand it. 358 TREASURED MOMENTS. PRODUCTS FROM LIBERIA. President Benson, of Liberia, says in a recent letter to a gentleman in this city, that more " has been exported within the last six months to Europe and America, of products of American Liberian labour, than during the entire forty years of Liberia's previous history. Our biennial election is over. By, I may say, a unanimous support, the people have me in for another term. I need rest, and had hoped to return to private life after this year, but I find it difficult to act contrary to the unanimously expressed wish of my fellow-citizens/' LIBERIA CLOTH. The editor of the Colonisation Herald has received from President Benson several complete samples of cloth from cotton raised, spun, and wove in Liberia, and exhibited in December last at the National Fair held in Monrovia. The cloth and staple compare well with the American cloth. THE PRESS IN LIBERIA. Within a few months three new journals have appeared in Monrovia : the Liberia Herald, which is the reappearance of a paper which had been suspended for some time ; the Star of Liberia; and the Liberia Christian Advocate. DARK PROSPECTS IN JAMAICA. The American Missionary, the journal of the Anti- Slavery Missionary Society, says : "Letters from the missionaries contain but little that is encouraging, and not a little that is trying. One of them writes that petty crime is on the increase in the island ; the only exception to this being found among the people that are under the direct influence of the missionaries. In the mission AMERICAN SLAVERY. 359 church at Eliot, there had been some painful defections, and it had been found necessary to cut off four of the members. Another missionary writes that all the churches throughout the island seem to be suffering from a reaction that has been going on ever since the time of special zeal that marked the first few years succeeding emancipation." THE HOPE OF THE AFRICAN RACE. Colonisation in Africa is deemed by many as the only practicable means of elevating the condition of the coloured people of our country. The following suggestive report on the subject was adopted by the Philadelphia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at its recent session, by an almost unanimous vote : " We are impressed with the conviction that the scheme of African colonisation is one of the grandest enterprises of benevolence that engages the attention of the present age. This conviction arises out of two general considerations, to wit : 1. The scheme offers good hope for the complete redemption of the African race. 2. We see no such hope from any other quarter. We ground this hope on many considerations, some of which we here state : " 1. In an experience of forty-one years the colony has grown into a State, exercising a regular government over 12,000 colonists, free citizens, and over 250,000 native Africans. " 2. The Republic of Liberia covers a coast line of over seven hundred miles, and that of Sierra Leone protects most of the coast north of Liberia ; and thus far at least the slave- trade is cut off. " 3. A base of operations is hereby formed which, by the fostering care of the Christian nations, must, in co-operation with other similar colonies, carry Christian civilisation over that entire continent. 360 TREASURED MOMENTS. " 4. The reflex influence of the Republic tends to elevate the character of the free coloured population in our own country. Several colleges and inferior institutions of learn- ing, exclusively for the education of the coloured race, are now in successful operation, stimulated mainly by the hopes of this enterprise. " 5. It prompts frequent instances of voluntary liberation of slaves. Of the colonists now in Liberia about three-fourths are liberated slaves. " 6. It is practicable for the entire African population to be colonised, if they desire it. Besides the contributions of benevolence, appropriations have been made for this end by State legislation to the amount of 466,000 dollars in the aggregate ; and there is every reason to expect these appro- priations to be increased." FREE NEGROES IN CANADA. One hears and sees much, in Canada, of runaway negroes. The taverns and hotels in Upper Canada are abundantly sup- plied with black servants from the South. Their settlements, also, are chiefly in the region of the Lakes, comparatively few venturing towards the St. Lawrence. Their condition is described by all impartial observers as pitiable in the extreme. TJnsuited by nature to the rigours of a Northern climate, they soon " dwindle, peak, and pine," amid all the pangs of starvation by cold and hunger. Intelligent English- men say, that if the Southern States would pass laws prohibiting the division of slave families, nine out of ten of the runaways would return to their homes. The Colonial system of attempting to raise the black man to the level of the white man is pronounced an utter failure. The encour- agement to black emigration has loaded the poor-houses and jails, while the loathsome intermarriages, which are allowed, and even encouraged, have caused in some localities a terrible demoralisation. AMERICAN SLAVERY. 361 Stories abound of the dissatisfaction expressed by the expatriated blacks. A short time since, an extensive planter from Kentucky, visiting the Clifton House, received many voluntary attentions from a poorly-dressed young black, who finally said, " Massa Colonel, don't you know me ?" " No," said the Colonel, " I never saw you before/' The young fellow then declared himself a runaway from the Colonel's plantation near Louisville, and demanded alms. His old master gave him a sufficient sum of money to replace his rags with a decent suit of clothes, when the following con- versation is described as having taken place : "Massa, should like to go back to Kentuck/' "Well, Jack, I shall not give a cent to help you back. You have run away from a good home, and you can run back again, where, if you behave yourself, you will be taken care of/' What became of Jack is more than is known ; but if there be any return tickets by the " Underground Kailroad," Jack will avail himself of the first passage. The total negro population of Upper Canada is set down at 4,669 (about the same as the Indians) out of a total of about a million. In Lower Canada, there are some 800 blacks in a census of some 900,000. So they form a very small fraction of the community, after all. BOOK IV. " Not slothful in business." Horn. xii. 11. " I also will show mine opinion." Job xxxii. 10. " Gather up the fragments, that nothing be lost." John vi. 12. PLAN AND PROPOSALS FOE ESTABLISHING A FEMALE SEMINARY AT CLEVELAND, OHIO, TODEB THE DIRECTION OF REV. E. N. SAWTELL, A.M., 1ATE CO-SECEETAET OP THE FOBEIGN EVANGELICAL SOCIETY. ADDRESS TO THE PUBLIC. THE man who from early childhood has consecrated himself to the Christian church, however insignificant he may appear in his own eyes, may nevertheless become so identified with the institutions of his age and country, as to render it improper to pass from one field of labour to another, without consenting to gratify a natural desire in the public mind to know the reasons and motives that have influenced his own mind in making the change. The subscriber therefore feels it due to his numerous friends, as well as to the Christian public, to whom for many years he has borne responsible relations in his connection with the various benevolent objects of the day, that he make known some of the reasons and motives which have finally determined him to resign his present office in the AMERICAN AND FOREIGN CHRISTIAN UNION, and devote himself to another department of Christian benevolence. The fact that his present duties call him every year from his family to visit all parts of this great and ever-growing republic, separating him eleven months out of the twelve from his seven children, whom he had covenanted " to train 366 TKEASURED MOMENTS. up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," might perhaps appear to most Christian parents a valid reason, of itself, for entering a new field of labour, in which the duties of a father, as well as those of a public servant, may be discharged. But superadded to this, from his first entrance into public life, he has been the warm supporter and untiring advocate of Christian Female Education, and has ever regarded it as one of the pillars on which rest the hopes of the church, our country, and the world ; and his repeated and extensive travels over the South and West have only deepened his convictions that this cause is second to no other in the wide range of benevolent effort, to rescue our country from the perilous influence of an ever-increasing foreign popu- lation. Frequently has he stood upon the Levee at New Orleans, and watched with wonder and painful solicitude that mighty stream of emigration that pours endlessly through that gateway, crowding the five hundred steamers that ply the Mississippi waters, and which carry and scatter them men, women, and children, over every hill and dale, nook and corner, whence these mighty waters flow. As frequently, too, has he stood upon the wharves at Boston, New York, Albany, Buffalo, Detroit, Milwaukie, and the same flood-tide is seen rising and flowing, higher and farther, but never ebbs. Everything that floats, whether on river, lake, or canal, seems crowded to its utmost capacity ; every vehicle, whether propelled by horse or steam power, seems groaning under the weight of human but immortal beings, who have fled from poverty and oppression, and have sought and found an asylum on our shores, on the Western plains, where they and their children and their children's children are to act their part in carrying out and consummating the high destiny of our national existence. He turns aside from these public thoroughfares, these con- gregated hordes, into the hall of science ; he listens to the geologist, as he describes the unparalleled fertility of the soil, MISCELLANY. 367 the inexhaustible mineral wealth that lies beneath it, closing his lecture with the bold and startling asseveration, " that each of the great Western States possesses ample resources for sus- taining a population of from thirty to forty millions, or twice the present population of the whole United States." From this hall, he goes to the little half-finished church ; he sees the care-worn, half-fed pastor ; he visits the log school-house, the only one in fifty miles ; he addresses a score of little children, out of perhaps five hundred that ought to be there, and as he turns away from this sad spectacle, and asks him- self, Is this all that can be done for the millions that are to come after ? he groans in his spirit, and exclaims, Where is the spirit of our Pilgrim Fathers, that laid broad and deep the foundations of New England society, in the meeting house and the school-house, those twin sisters that have stood side by side together, until "this desert rejoices and blossoms as the rose," and the barren hills have become fruitful fields ? What our Pilgrim Fathers have done for happy New England should be done by their children for the West. Enjoying, as we do, the experience of our ancestors and the fruit of their toil, can we be true to ourselves, or worthy of such an ancestry, if, with our superior advantages and abundant means, we neglect to enter in and possess the land, the most fertile and remarkable on which the sun ever shone, and, by the same instrumentality and appliances employed by our fathers, lay there the same sure foundation, for the hope and salvation of the millions already there, and the tens of millions yet to come ? With such views and such reflections upon the progress and prospective greatness of our country, the subscriber was brought, first to a pause, and then to a settled purpose of giving himself back to the West, and consecrating himself anew to the land of his adoption, the object of his first love, even from his youth. And while he still hopes to have strength to preach the gospel from Sabbath to Sabbath, to many that are ready to perish, his great mission, from week 368 TREASURED MOMENTS. to week, will be THE PROMOTION OF CHRISTIAN FEMALE EDUCATION. And that he may have a starting-point, or model, to which he can turn the eyes of those whose hearts he wishes to move on the subject, he proposes, first of all, and in compliance with the wishes of many friends both at the East and the West, to establish a female seminary of high character in one of our Western States ; and has already secured, by contract, commodious and singularly beautiful grounds in the vicinity of Cleveland, Ohio, on which to erect the necessary buildings. The buildings to be erected, added to those already on the grounds, with the natural scenery and forest trees, will give it an air of home comfort and rural simplicity, which he thinks peculiarly appropriate to female institutions, and of which the engraving gives but an imperfect idea. On completing the buildings, he proposes to draw together an efficient corps of teachers from New England, and, with as little delay as possible, put into operation an institution of the highest order. It will be his object to extend the advantages of a thorough Christian education to as many as possible ; and while his plan does not contemplate the establishment of a charity school, in the ordinary sense of that term, but a self- supporting one, nevertheless, it does propose, as will be seen on another page, to bring the attainment of a complete education within the reach of many destitute of ready means, and who would otherwise be denied the blessing. And now, for the accomplishment of this great object, may not the subscriber hope to receive, not merely the prayers, good wishes, and sympathies of his Christian friends, but more substantial aid from those who possess an abundance of the good things of this life ? May he not hope for the same liberal, cheerful response to this appeal, which he has hereto- fore received when pleading the cause of Western churches, of Eastern sailors, missionaries for the North, missionaries for the South, and the Bible for the world ? He trusts, he hopes, he believes. MISCELLANY. 369 PLAN OF THE SCHOOL. DR. FRANKLIN was once asked, what he thought of the air- balloon. " What is the use of a new-born infant?" was the pithy reply. Franklin was not afraid, to look a new idea in the face, nor was he the man to embrace it simply because it' was new. " Prove all things, and hold fast that which is good," was his maxim. His playing with a kite, and the sending our thoughts over the Continent on wires, seem to have little connection, yet one led to the other. The boiling of water in a tea-kettle, and the mighty steam engine, seemingly bear but little relation to each other, yet one is the progenitor of the other. Harvey astonished the world when he revealed the secret of those laws by which the blood circulates in our veins, yet he traced this discovery to the dissecting of a cat, when a boy. The falling of an apple before the observing eye of Newton was a small circumstance, yet the sublime machinery of the starry heavens has been disclosed as the consequence. Now we do not expect to astonish the world by anything we do, but perhaps a new tea-kettle will sputter, or a new apple may drop, that may lead to something good when we are gone. Who can tell ? From an early and intimate acquaintance with literary institutions at the West, and the frequent drafts made upon the East to sustain them, the subscriber has been led fre- quently to inquire, whether some plan could not be devised by which Western mind and energy and means could be more effectually enlisted and systematically applied in their sup- port, and in giving to them greater expansion and power in the diffusion of knowledge. 2 A 370 TREASURED MOMENTS. Whether the plan here proposed will in any degree sub- serve these ends, time alone can determine. It is conceded that the moneyed institutions of the country are, and probably will remain for a long time to come, almost exclusively in the -East ; while, at the same time, the vast amount of productive investments made by Eastern capitalists in the new States must ever give to the East a deep and per- sonal interest in whatever affects the character and prosperity of the Western States. Hence the justice of the claims of the West upon the East, and to which the latter has so fre- quently and liberally responded. It is equally true, however, that the West is rich in her natural resources, and abundant in all the substantials and necessaries of life. It appears, therefore, not only desirable, but practicable, to establish an institution upon a plan that shall so combine and secure Eastern capital on the one hand, and the products of Western labour on the other, as, by their united application, to give an increase of power, in promoting the cause of Christian educa- tion at the West. And while we ask Eastern capitalists to open their coffers and with their money lay broad and deep the foundations of Western institutions, may we not, with equal propriety and success, ask the Western farmers to open their granaries, and out of their abundance give such as they have, to sustain the teachers, and to increase the number and the means of supporting beneficiaries, and thus diffuse more widely, among all classes, the blessings of a thorough Christian education ? It has been from these and such like reflections that the undersigned has been induced to attempt the establishment of a school, in which a fair trial may be made as to how far the products of the West, so abundant and cheap, can be rendered subservient to the cause of education. As it will cost nothing to adopt the plan and make the experiment, so nothing will be lost, should it, after a fair trial, be abandoned as impracticable, as nothing would be necessary but to fall back upon the old system. MISCELLANY. 37 1 The plan is as follows : Let the school be one, as before suggested, of high character ; in every respect worthy the confidence and patronage of those who are able and willing to send their daughters to the best schools, regardless of expenses. Let the price of tuition, and all other expenses, be in accordance with the character of the school. Then let us suppose that out of a school of one hun- dred pupils, fifty of them are of the above class, able to pay full prices, say 200 dollars each per annum, more or less. Let us suppose, again, that another class of pupils present them- selves for admittance, equally worthy and intellectual, and equally important to them and the country that they receive a Christian education, and whose means are inadequate to meet the expenses of the school. Shall the doors be closed against them? No, let them come in and pay what they can. Then comes, perhaps, a class of poor orphans, or daughters of poorly-paid missionaries, equally talented and promising, anxious to be qualified for teachers, or for doing good in some other department of benevolence. What shall be done with them ? Shall they be turned off ? _No, take them in, though they can pay little or nothing towards their support, giving them equal advantages with the daughters of the rich, and charging them, nominally, the same price. Now, in meeting the expenses of the school, how is the deficit to be made up ? By collecting money through the country ? No ; money is scarce in the West, and could not be obtained for such a purpose. Shall agents be sent to the East to obtain it? No, the East have done their part in putting up the buildings, furnishing library, apparatus, &c. How then ? By collecting from the good people of the West just such articles as they have in abundance, and sucluas they would willingly contribute to such an object corn, wheat, flour, bacon, butter, cheese, &c., that could be turned into the boarding-house, or exchanged for groceries, as the case might be ; while societies of ladies could easily be formed, in the neighbouring towns, to provide articles of clothing for such as might need. 2 A 2 372 TREASURED MOMENTS. A school founded upon such principles, besides being in accordance with the genius of our free institutions, would seem to possess, among others, the following advantages. 1. There is here no distinction made between the rich and the poor: all possess equal rights and equal advantages all are charged the same price. 2. The associating together, and bringing from the different classes in society, young ladies of good character, if under proper religious instruction, cannot fail to be mutually bene- ficial and salutary. Those brought up in opulence and ease may learn much from those accustomed to toil ; so vice versa. 3. The influence that such an institution would exert in developing piety and bringing out the resources and latent ener- gies of the church, and introducing a systematic course of benevolence, would be incalculable to any people. For in the same proportion as the good people through the country could be induced to give of the products of their land and labour to sustain among them such an institution, so would they begin to read and reflect on the importance of female education, and identify themselves more closely with everything that appertains to the elevation of female character. It is hardly necessary to say, that if the friends of the Bible and of Bible institutions do not educate the West, the enemies of the Bible and of free institutions will do it. The following extracts from Cleveland papers will show what these enemies are doing in preparing for the contest in that city. POPERY UNVEILED. " The Catholic Society have purchased from Mr. Oviatt, the ' Cowles property,' on Euclid-street, for the purpose of estab- lishing a convent. The lot is admirably adapted to that pur- pose, it being already darkened with shade trees, and beauti- fied with walks and shrubbery. High walls will soon shut it out from the gaze of the ungodly, and within its sacred precincts none will walk, but those who under everlasting MISCELLANY. 373 vows have forsworn all connection with the world. The pur- chase cost 12,000 dollars." Plain Dealer. " The Catholics have purchased a part of the eligibly located ' Cowles property/ being some two hundred feet front on Euclid-street, and fifteen rods deep, for the purpose of establishing a female seminary. "Bishop Rappe, now on the Continent, has secured the services of six of the most accomplished and best-educated women in Europe to take charge of this seminary ; and the reputation of the Bishop, for public spirit, sound judgment, and devotion to the cause of education, is a guarantee that the seminary will be one of which our city may well be proud." Herald. The above are facts, but not all the facts. The Catholics have also purchased seventeen acres of beautiful grounds in the vicinity of Cleveland, on which to establish a college for boys. These acts of the Jesuits speak volumes as to what Cleveland is to be, and what Bible Christians ought to do. Shall the rightful possessors of this fair land sleep, while the enemy cometh in like a flood to sow tares? It is estimated that at least 20,000 dollars will be required to place this seminary upon a sure foundation. If this sum appear large, let us consider how many millions are every year thrown away upon air castles, and trying vain expe- riments for the acquisition of wealth the digging of Cali- fornia gold. Shall we hesitate to invest a little of our abundance in an institution whose object is to educate the mind and elevate the character of those who are to be the teachers and mothers of generations unborn, who are indeed to control the future destinies of this nation? If we are to carry out the great principles of civil and religious liberty, and show to the world that man is capable of self-government, if we are to be a luminary to other nations, if the world's emancipation is to be hastened by our example, then does it behove us to see that provisions, ample as are our hopes and our desires, be 374; TREASURED MOMENTS. made for the thorough Christian education of those who are to possess the endearing name, and sustain the responsible relation of MOTHERS. We confidently expect that there are those in New England, of ample means and large hearts, who have been waiting per- haps for just such an opportunity of doing good of laying the foundations of an institution that shall exert an influence and enlighten minds long after they have gone to their final reward. And as it is the last call which the undersigned ever expects to make to his Christian friends, to aid in a benevolent work, he cannot but hope yea, believe that they will, as here- tofore, respond cheerfully and liberally to this appeal, remem- bering that " the Lord loveth a cheerful giver." NOTE. More than thirty thousand dollars were raised for the establishment of this institution, which went into full and successful operation in 1853 ; and though not in exact accordance with all the foregoing suggestions, it will, we are confident, with God's blessing, continue to bless thousands through coming generations. To God be all the glory. 377 AN EXTEMPORANEOUS ADDKESS AT THE FIFTH ANNITBESAEY OF THE BOARD OF NATIONAL POPULAR EDUCATION. MR. SA.WTELL, on moving the acceptance of the report, said : I rise, Mr. President, to move the acceptance of the report ; and though fearing to efface from the minds of this assembly the deep impressions which I am sure the reading of it has made, I am tempted to accompany the motion by a few remarks. I may be permitted to express my unfeigned gratitude to God, for putting it into the hearts of American Christians to organise such a Society as this, apd for the good He has enabled it already to accomplish. There is a charm in the very name of this Society. National Popular Education. Yes, this expresses exactly what we want what we must have. The perpetuity of our national existence depends, under God, upon carrying out this great idea. Call it not a little work, to educate, enlighten, and elevate the popular mind. Despots may laugh us to scorn. They may be satisfied to educate those, and only those, whom they use as tools ; but we aim, by this Society, to educate our sovereigns. This Society is no respecter of persons. It aims to educate and enlighten mind, as mind ; and so to develope its powers, and quicken its perceptions, that each individual, as he ripens into manhood, and watches the bent of his own genius, may choose his own path to fame and to usefulness. And, having made his own choice from an enlightened judgment, and knowledge of his own powers, how much more likely to succeed, 378 TREASURED MOMENTS. yea, to excel in his calling, than the child taken from the nursery, and, like a parrot, educated for a certain calling, and forced to trudge on through life, singing the Shibboleth of his profession, though never able, to the day of his death, to sound the letter H. Now, this is just what they do in the old despotic countries of Europe. The parents, by the advice and counsel of the priest, select one son for the law, a second for the army, a third for the priesthood. They are taken off to the ecclesiastical laboratory ; and passing through the crucible, one comes out with brief and green bag in hand ; a second, with epaulets on his shoulders, and a sword by his side ; while the third, with his crucifix and robes, is a candidate for holy orders. Now, the probability is that no one of the three has any natural gifts for the profession upon which he is forced to enter. The lawyer may be tonguertied ; the priest, the least holy of the three ; the soldier, timid as a hare fainting at the sight of blood, and trembling at the smell of gunpowder. Can these men ever rise, and become distinguished in their respective professions ? Never. Education improves, enlarges, expands, and developes ; but has no creative power. A Washington might never have become a D wight, nor a D wight a Washington, by the mere force of education ; but each, being left to follow the bent of his own mind, and the providences of God, became alike distinguished, and lived and died an honour and a blessing to their age, their country, and the world. It is here, in our educational system of elevating the masses, connected with our free institutions, that is to be found the secret of our success, of our triumphs in art and in war. When, in an emergency, like that of the late Mexican war, our people volunteer their services, we may know there is fight in them ; they have a natural tact, talent, and love for the excitement of the battle-field, which no army of mere hire- lings, however well trained, can ever possess, and, though numbering four to one, can ever withstand or conquer. So with the triumph of American skill at the late Fair in London MISCELLANY. 379 The astonished English have tried in vain to solve the pro- blem : the last attempt, the most laughable of all that it was owing to "the overworking, the undue excitement of the American mind." No, no ; the solution is to be found in the very fact indicated by the name of this Society National Popular Education scattering broadcast over our whole land the, means of intellectual education ; imposing no restraints upon the freedom of inquiry ; no repelling influences to the inquisitive, ardent, youthful mind. We have no Papal bull, shaking his horns over the cradle of a new-born thought ; no cardinal's hat, hung up in the school-room, to be used, as they use Chinese shoes, to give the head a particular shape, and keep it within ecclesiastical limits ; no ghost stories, or musty traditions, to scare children, and stifle the aspirations of a hopeful mind ; but with one infallible light for the heart and conscience an open Bible we are educating the masses ; and the Lord being our helper, we will not slacken our efforts, till every child in the nation shall rejoice in its light. In pro- portion to the number we educate, so is the probability of finding rare specimens of genius and intellectual development. It would be strange indeed, if, in exploring a mine of so many million of gems, we did not occasionally strike upon one of extraordinary brilliancy ! I have spoken of an open Bible ; yes, a Bible for the masses, God's great instrument for governing men and nations. There is but one alternative. God will have men and nations governed ; and they must be governed by one of two instru- ments : an open Bible, with it shallowed influences, or a standing army with bristling bayonets ; one, the product of God's wis- dom, the other, of man's folly ; and that nation or people that dare discard, or will not yield to the moral power of the one, must submit to the brute force of the other. Herein do we discover the secret of our ability to govern ourselves. Just so long, and no longer, than we preserve the open Bible in our schools, shall we be capable of self-government. Let me illus- trate my meaning by a single fact. During a* seven years' 380 TREASURED MOMENTS. residence in France, party politics often ran high in my native land. The whole country, on the eve of a presidential election, seemed like " ocean into tempest wrought." Political editors seemed to be at swords' points and, to the Frenchman, our ship of state appeared literally to be beating upon the shoals and quicksands of a lee-shore ; and their cry was, " She must go down ; she can never outride the storm." But the next arrival, perhaps, announced the result of the contest, the triumph and the defeat. The storm had died away ; scarcely a ripple to be seen upon the mighty ocean of agitated mind. The farmer had returned quietly to his plough, the mechanic to his shop, the merchant to his counting-house ; and those editors who, to the Frenchman, seemed so belligerent, were playing off their jokes upon each other, as though nothing had happened. And now, the noble ship once more rights herself, obeys her helm, and with all her canvas spread to the wind, her banners unfurled, her stars and stripes waving at mast- head, she booms onward with accelerated speed and power, to the chagrin and amazement of every despotic power in the old world ; while the Frenchman, with a shrug of the shoulder, would press my hand and exclaim, " You Americans are the queerest people in the world. How is it that you can create such a storm, and your political editors can talk so rabidly, and lash the whole nation, like an ocean, into mountain waves, and yet the moment the election is over, all is quiet, all seem satisfied ? Can you explain it ? Why, if such a storm had been raised here in France, blood would have flown to' the horses' bridles. Do tell me the secret of that power that can control the multitude under such excitement." Well, how did I explain it ? I '11 tell you in few words. Opening the Bible, I said to the Frenchman : " From this despised and proscribed book, which God has given to illumine the path of every man, emanate the light and the power that control the American mind, in such emergencies. Tens of thousands of our citizens who deposit their votes in the ballot- box, have been blessed with pious mothers who brought their MISCELLANY. 381 infant minds early in contact with God's precious truth. They taught them to commit to memory such passages as these : ' He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty ; and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.' ' The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.' ' Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.' ' Do unto others as ye would that they should do unto you/ &c., &c. These and kindred texts were taught them in the nursery, the Sabbath- school, public schools, by mothers and teachers, as God com- mands, ' when they went out and when they came in, when they sat down and when they rose up,' giving them ' line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little/ thus engraving them deeply upon the tablets of their hearts, imbuing their infant spirits with the spirit of the gospel which is ' peace on earth, and goodwill to man.' Thus they grew up and matured into manhood, with this leaven working in them, both to will and to do that which is just and equal toward God and toward men; and though multitudes there may be, who have not been blessed with this early religious training from an open Bible, yet a sufficient number have been thus trained to exert an all-pervading, controlling influence over the masses; and hence our indebtedness to an OPEN BIBLE for our ability to govern ourselves. Take from us the open Bible, and, like Samson shorn of his locks, we should become as weak as any other people. Take away the Bible, and, like Italy, Austria, and Russia, we would need a despot on a throne, and a standing army of half a million, to keep the populace in subjection/' This was my reply. Was it in accordance with truth ? If so, what are our responsibilities to God and our country, to furnish pious female teachers and Bibles for the entire mass of our population. We cannot fail to see, that, under God, our country is, and ever will be, just what pious mothers and pious female teachers, with an open Bible, make it no better, no worse. And one of the beautiful features of this society, which claims our just admiration, is, that it employs woman, 382 TREASUKED MOMENTS. pious, educated woman, advancing, or if you please, exalting her, to just that sphere of influence and usefulness for which she is by nature so peculiarly fitted. In the school-room, as in the nursery, surrounded by groups of youthful, ardent, impul- sive minds, she is sovereign and queen of all she surveys ; and by her gentle, kind, persuasive, controlling influence, these plastic minds become like clay in the hands of the potter. She moulds them and fits them for noble deeds ; and thus, without a figure of speech, she holds the destinies of our country in her hands. Surely, here is glory enough for woman ; and here, in the language of the report just read, is "the true stand- point for the exercise of her greatest power " greater than any she can exercise by entering the halls of legislation. While we deny to woman the right to do this, we acknowledge there is a sense in which she legislates most efficiently ; a sense in which, and a way by which, she guides and controls both men and nations. Of the truth of this, an apt illustration is found in the spirited repartee of an accomplished lady to her husband, while engaged in an animated discussion upon domestic economy. Perceiving that his better-half had got the better of the argument, and wishing to dodge the force of her logic, and the keenness of her wit, he exclaimed, with more than ordinary emphasis, " My dear, you must remember, tJiat I am the head." "Ah, true," replies the smiling yet confiding wife, " but you must also remember, that I am the neck that turns it." There is not more of wit and pertinency, than of truth and logic, in this pithy reply. The connection, equality, and mutual dependence of the sexes, and the relation they sustain to each other, are significantly and sententiously em- bodied in this figure. Yes, and methinks each party should be satisfied, man, that he is the head ; woman, that she has the power to turn it. And as to their relative physical position, neither the one nor the other is responsible. Hence much of this ado about redressing the wrongs of woman is about as absurd as to talk of redressing the wrongs of the neck, suffered by the elevation of the head above it. What cruelty ! what MISCELLANY. 383 usurpation ! what overbearing intolerance ! always to keep the neck under a mere tool of convenience a pivot on which to turn ! Who will not arise to avenge its wrongs ? Who will not agitate this important subject until his headship shall be humbled, and brought low the neck exalted its " equal rights " acknowledged the present order of things subverted and every man required, from this time forth, to carry his neck on the top of his head? But, thanks be to God, there are but few of womankind in our happy land, that are not satisfied with the position in which the gospel has placed them ; and we trust that all will be constrained finally to acknowledge, with grateful hearts, that, in the diversity of gifts and talents and spheres of action, both to man and to woman, "the Lord hath done all things well." This Society deserves the hearty commendations of all, not only for what it has done for the West, but for what it is doing to inculcate juster views of woman's high and noble calling as a teacher, and of her power as an educator to form the character and control the destiny of the human race. 384 UNSETTLED STATE OF EUROPE. Havre, May 9, 1855. MY DEAR SlR, There is, at the present time, an anomalous state of things on this side the Atlantic. Not a mountain, but a continent is in labour ; and in every convulsive throe of parturition some new and hideous monstrosity is ushered into life. Europe is a moral chaos, a boiling caldron over the hidden fires of a volcano ; throwing to the surface such com- binations of opposing elements ; such conglomerations of heterogeneous masses, and cohesions of repellent forces, as to lead one almost to suspect that nature's laws are suspended, and that everything is now formed and governed by the pres- sure of circumstances, or the coercion of inexorable fate. Oil and water mingle together, not from any newly discovered affinities, or spontaneous attractions, but because of their weak- ness and utter inability to repel the alliance. They first nauseate, then embrace. Gold and silver, iron and clay as in Nebuchadnezzar's image cohere and coalesce* while they loathe the nuptial bands. The Pilates and the Herods of the day are becoming friends and leagued lords, while they detest the necessity that throws the cords of amity around them. The English bull and the French cock bellow and crow upon the same dunghill, while both are held uncomfortably tight in the paws of the Russian bear. Protestants and Mohammedans, Papists and Moors, Arabs and Tartars, are seen in the same camp, march to the same music, fight under the same banner, and fall into one and the same grave. Crowned heads and despots quail and tremble, for fear of the things that are com- MISCELLANY. 385 ing upon the earth ; popes and prelates crouch and cringe obsequiously in silent and conscious weakness. The Italians look knowingly and wistfully at the signs of the times, but talk little, except in the dark, and by the stiletto. The Hun- garians find it difficult to smother, for the time being, the vindictive fires raging in their breasts. As for the Germans, they are still smoking their long pipes around gigantic mugs of beer ; and amid the fumes and exhalations of their own creation, they soar into those dreamy, transcendental regions, where earthquakes and grape-shot never disturb the sleeper ; there they soliloquise and philosophise, watching warily the dark clouds below, and though the reverberations of distant thunder occasionally reach their ears, they produce no commo- tion, nor any visible change, save perhaps the cutting into quick and isolated whiffs those graceful spiral columns of smoke, that ever and anon issue from their mouths. They have one stereotyped resolve and that is, to remain in statu quo ante bellum, at least, until all other belligerent powers and kingdoms shall agree as to the exact difference between " tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee." Poor Spain has too little of the breath of life remaining in her, to notice the raging elements around and too insignificant to be noticed by them. The impetuous Greeks flash indignant fire from their dark piercing eyes, and are reluctantly persuaded to bide their time. While the Jews alone stand erect in their individual and con- scious dignity ; preferring theocracy to all other governments upon earth, and despising alike the cross and the crescent, they are alike indifferent which shall wave in triumph over the mosques of the Sultan. In such a state of things, can any one wonder that the sudden death of Nicholas, the proud autocrat of the Russians, struck Europe with a kind of paralysis, from which she has scarcely yet recovered ? For days, there seemed to be almost a suspension of the breath, an abstraction of the mind, a still- ness more appalling than the shock of battle, more significant than the calm that precedes the earthquake, people looked 386 TREASURED MOMENTS. and gazed, but little disposed to speak each knew the other's thoughts while all seemed to say, "when Jehovah speaks, let the earth keep silence/' or, as if upon some fixed star there had been suddenly flung out of heaven a black pall, on which all eyes rested, and each for himself eagerly intent on decipher- ing the handwriting of the Almighty. But the return of consciousness rekindled the hope of peace ; like an electric spark, it flashed upon all minds, and made all hearts throb with irrepressible desires. Is not this an interposition of God, they exclaimed, to restore once more to the nations the blessings of peace ? And all eyes were at once directed to Alexander, the son, and successor to the crown he is young, inexperienced, and unambitious all hopes centre in him he will restore that boon of which his father robbed us ; but alas ! they were soon dissipated, his first imperial ukase to the Russian army blighted every pro- spect of peace from that quarter." The next ray of hope was thought to be hovering over the Austrian capital " Yes, yes," cried the multitude, " the Vienna Conference will surely give us peace : they will harmonise upon some honourable terms of compromise," but that Conference convened and dispersed, ac- complishing about as much as did the intrepid soldier " who marched up the hill, and then marched down again." They left the question at issue just where they found it, to be settled by the sword. And now the eyes of the world are once more turned to Se- bastopol, as the pivot on which is to turn the destiny of kings and kingdoms, thrones and dominions, principalities and powers. In the one scale, the very existence of the Ottoman Empire hangs in doubt ; in the other, the tottering thrones of the papal world. These scales are at this moment balancing and quivering in such equal poise upon the walls of Sebastopol, that seemingly the weight of a feather would suffice to kick the beam, and determine the fate of empires. A decisive blow must undoubtedly be struck soon, or disease and pesti- lence will be more formidable and fatal to the allies, than the MISCELLANY. 387 lance and the sabre of the Cossacks. Everything at present looks dark for the Western Powers ; for should Sebastopol fall, and the Russians be driven from that stronghold, they are scarcely crippled, or checked, and much less conquered : on the other hand, if the allies are compelled to raise the siege, and leave the Russians in quiet and undisputed possession of the Crimea, the Black Sea, and the adjacent provinces, then will that transcendental fog on the banks of the lower Rhine, which has so long mystified the German mind, be cleared away their statu quo system will be among the things that were and Austria, with all the Germanic powers, will unite with Russia, to cope with the world, and to dictate peace upon their own terms ; and this will be the beginning of the end ; and who will venture to predict what that end shall be ? With such alliances, such combination of forces, with the present improvements in the arts and weapons of warfare, to meet in battle array, and come into collision with the united forces of two such kingdoms as England and France, in all their might and glory, must of necessity produce an earthquake, that will shake the continent, and startle the world. But nous verrons. Yours, &c. B 2 388 CONTRAST BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND FRANCE. Havre, Dec. 12th, 1855. MY DEAR SlR, It is both pleasant and profitable to recognise God's hand in all the little incidents and coincidents with which our earthly pilgrimage is checkered and diversified, and which in fact form the warp and the woof in the web of our destiny ; light and darkness, gaiety and pensiveness, joy and sorrow mingle and commingle, till blended into all the beauties of the rainbow. The history of our family circle yesterday is but an illustration : in the morning we all met as usual around the domestic altar, and around the table spread with the bounties of our Heavenly Father. Our minds through the day naturally reverted to the beautiful city of our adoption, for we remembered that it was the anniversary of our departure ; we spoke of Cleveland, and of the many friends we left behind, and of the severing of those ties which had so long bound us together, and which for years had been strengthening as if never to be sundered ; and we were sad as we reflected that now an ocean rolls its ceaseless waves between us. In our imagination we wandered through her streets, noting the changes, greeting old friends, and treasuring up the reminiscences of the past ; but while in these mental abstractions, all of a sudden the bell rings, our faithful sexton enters with a large bundle under his arm, announcing the arrival of a New York packet, and then showered down upon our table a perfect avalanche of the MISCELLANY. 389 back numbers of the Cleveland Herald even back to August last. Never did a family famishing for food seize the savory viands with more avidity and greediness than we did the copies of that familiar friend. Parents and children vied with each other, as with eager eyes they scanned column after column, to find some choice bit of news to give fresh zest to the general excitement. Marriages and deaths, religion and politics, poetry and advertisements, were all glanced over and talked over, laughed over, cried over, till the morning watch caught us wide awake as though sleep were no part of our nature. Oh the blessings of a free country and a free press ! And what a comment upon the despotic kingdoms of the Old World, that we, who reside here, depend upon American papers, as we often do, for information upon the most exciting and startling events that are transpiring* in our midst. The migratory habits of our citizens, giving to the aggregate an almost ubiquity of character, ever jealous of their rights, and ever fearless in their defence, keep the American press thoroughly posted on all subjects relating to human govern- ments, whilst here such topics are a contraband article. We can, to be sure, think in silence, but woe to him " who thinks aloud." What freedom, what privileges, what untold blessings are" enjoyed by the citizens of our happy land ! Blessings which God hath been showering upon it from the day of its birth; and what fearful responsibilities hath God imposed upon those who are chosen to guide and sway its destinies. Independent and inexhaustible in her resources, simple and beautiful in her unity, invincible and terrible in her strength, and incomparably great and glorious in her future prospects and destiny ; who but the prince of the power of the air, that worketh in the children of disobedience, could ever have sug- gested the thought of breaking into fragments such a symbol of strength, such an embodiment of light, of freedom, and of moral power. A mighty instrument which, for the last century, God in his infinite wisdom has been preparing, and by 390 TREASURED MOMENTS. which He intends to dash to pieces, like a potter's vessel, every corrupt kingdom of the earth, and disenthral the world from papal and pagan despotism. Palsied be the tongue, and paralysed the arm, that shall attempt to tear asunder what God in his mercy and wisdom hath joined together. But where am I wandering ? When I took my pen I had not the least intention of touching upon this subject; and, if an apo- logy be needed, it must be found in the fact of my having just laid down Bancroft's History, having, in my leisure moments, gone through the whole six volumes, with intense interest and with head and heart so full of the subject, so wrought upon by a sense of God's wonderful dealings with our fathers, in sustaining them amid the trials and conflicts of their colonial weakness, and in the expenditure of blood and treasure, to gain our independence and lay the foundations of a mighty empire. >The arrival of your Herald, portraying our present danger, and the bare possibility that the blessings so dearly purchased by the self-sacrificing spirit of our fathers, might yet be lost to the world, and sacrificed upon the altar of unhallowed passions, was indeed like touching a match to powder; and with a troubled soul, a bleeding heart, and tumultuous thoughts rushing in a torrent, how can it be other- wise than that the pen should drift with the current ? But in turning from our own dearly purchased and dearly loved land, to that of France, what can we say by way of contrast? Ah, what a different picture now unrolls itself before us. France at this moment is fearfully quiet ; sleeping like an infant upon its mother's breast. Yet it is a sleep more ominous, more alarmingly significant than are the tumultuous billows of that tornado, that is sweeping over our once happy Union. The present Emperor is unquestionably the most powerful sovereign in Christendom, yea, in the world even his enemies being judges and many who laughed him to scorn when he first seized the crown and the sceptre are now con- strained to say of him, as Sully said of King James " He is the wisest fool in Europe ; " and upon the precarious life of MISCELLANY. 391 this one man hangs the present peace of France, and with France, the peace of all the other powers of Europe ; a life, too, which is every day and every hour in jeopardy from the bribed assassins who are thirsting for his blood. Twice, since our return to this country, have we been brought within ten inches of a revolution the distance between the assassin's ball and the Emperor's heart. Nor do we ever lie down to sleep at night with any degree of certainty, that we shall not be aroused from our slumbers by the beating of drums and the calling of men to arms. Therefore, as are the probabilities of the enemies of the Emperor in finding a good marksman to take his life, so, inversely, are the probabilities of the continu- ance of peace. But to the masses of the French, so flexible, so volatile in their character, a revolution is but a pleasant pastime an exciting interlude in the great drama of life, breaking up its monotony. They readily adjust themselves to almost any form of government, submitting to its rigours, and bearing its heavy burdens with commendable cheerfulness so long as they can anticipate a change, and look forward to another frolic held in reserve. And so active and supple are they in these changes, that they can in a night displace a king, and dance joyously around his vacant throne ; in the morning can hoist the liberty pole, with its red flag streaming in the wind, and shout vociferously, " Vive la Republique ;" in the evening they can follow an archbishop with wax candles into Notre-Dame, and sing a Te Deum over an absolute monarchy. Nor is this comedy carried through all its various stages with the cold formality of a farce. They throw their whole souls into the play ; vigorously sustaining every part in the drama, and acquire fresh ardour and increased zeal as they approach the climax. Their rapturous joys in the giddy dance over the first act, and their wild and enthusiastic shouts over the second, are only excelled by the apparent fervency and humble piety with which they raise their eyes to the Virgin Mary, and sing a Te Deum over the last. And yet, with all this fickleness of character and love of change in the masses, 392 TREASURED MOMENTS. it must be acknowledged that the French are a noble race, and possess many qualities worthy of admiration. Nor must it be supposed that the masses meet with no check, no rebuke, in their riotous, seditious re veilings. Citizens of noble bearing are to be found all over France, stable in their principles, intelligent and virtuous in their lives, who weep and mourn over this state of things, and sigh for repose and for stability and permanency in her government and in all her political and religious institutions. Indeed, the French are just what any other people would be in like circumstances. Nor is it difficult for any one well versed in her history to trace to one common origin all the evils which have so long afflicted her, and have given to her such an unenviable notoriety. Up to the commencement of the 16th century, France possessed about as much quietude and stability of character as Austria, Italy, Spain, or any other of the great papal powers of Europe. But when Luther erected his batteries in Ger- many, and began to blaze and thunder away at such a terrible rate as to startle half a world and break the slumber of ages, while these other powers were in a measure protected by their position, France lay directly in the range of his guns. To be sure the other powers felt the shock and partially awoke, but it was so much like the reverberations of distant thunder, that, like the man roused by the fire-bells and seeing the danger at a distance, rubs his eyes, turns over, and falls asleep, so was it with Italy, so was it with Austria, and so was it with Spain, but not so was it with France. With a people more active, more excitable, and more directly in contact with the danger that threatened, she awoke to vigilance, to action, to perpetual combat. In other words, the great Reformation of the 16th century threw into France just light enough to make the darkness visible, but not enough to triumph over it ; hence the incessant struggle between these two opposing ele- ments, from that day to this. And here lies the secret, the origin of the terrible evils, the perpetual strife, the sudden revolutions and counter-revolutions that have afflicted this MISCELLANY. 393 unhappy nation. True, new elements are developed and new forms assumed, as infidelity, scepticism, and socialism which are but offshoots or excrescences from the papal system come in for their share ; but after all, it is but one prolonged terrific struggle between light and darkness, truth and error, liberty and despotism, Protestantism and Papacy ; beginning with the Reformation, and ending the Lord only knows when or where. At times these contending powers have been so nicely balanced as to excite the liveliest hope that liberty and truth would finally prevail, and that France would soon be seen wheeling into line and taking her stand among the great Protestant powers of the earth ; but of a sudden some new element will be brought into play, and turn the scales in favour of despotism. So was it when Charles IX. ascended the throne ; Protestantism had then a strong and, as was believed, a permanent foothold in France ; but having no confidence in his own abilities or strength, and instigated by the infamous intriguing Catherine de Medicis, he planned and executed the memorable massacre of St. Bartholomew cutting down at a single blow more than thirty thousand Protestants, and some of the best blood in the kingdom. For awhile this turned the scale in favour of despotism : but the leaven was not yet destroyed, nor the seed rooted out. Protestants still multiplied, and during the reign of Henry IV. increased so rapidly in numbers, wealth, and influence, as to excite the fears and jealousy of the Papal See. Next came the revocation of the edict of Nantes by Louis XIV., which let loose the whole power of Romanism upon the defenceless head of the Protes- tants ; and in the persecutions that followed, and those that preceded, more than half a million of Protestants have perished, and as many more have been driven from the kingdom ; and still Protestants and Protestantism live, and move, and have their being in France. Their blood has enriched her soil ; their Bibles, books, and tracts are thrown broadcast over the land, and they are still able to keep up the strife and struggle 394 TREASURED MOMENTS. between " the powers that be," and those powers that are to be. But I find myself again launched on an endless theme, and must stop. How greatly would I prefer to stand in your midst, in some one of your large halls, and let my tongue run instead of my pen. Pardon this incoherent scrawl ; I have written amid the pressure of other duties, increased by extra labours in England, Ireland, and Scotland, to which I intended to have alluded, but must defer it for the present. As ever, yours, &c. 395 TOUR THROUGH ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND. Havre, Nov. 13th, 1855. DEAR BROTHER, So varied and multiform have my duties here become, that I scarcely note the flight of time, and was startled this morning to find that, since my last letter to you, six entire months have actually swept by me, and are now numbered with those beyond the flood. Almost everything around us bears some indubitable mark of its age. The stately oak, that has stood the blasts of many winters, can never be mistaken for a sapling. The old veteran of seventy-six, with his snow-white locks, his slow and measured step, never thinks of palming himself off upon the world as a youth in his teens. But old Time, with his rusty scythe, which has outlived almost everything but himself, is an exception to the general rule : so far from any marks of decay, or decrepitude, he seems, at every revolving year, to renew his youth, quicken his pace, and move on with accelerated velocity. Well, let him speed his flight ; happy the man, who, by patient continuance in well-doing, stands like corn fully ripe, and ready for this untiring and impartial reaper. Within the last year, I have made a preaching tour through some parts of England, Ireland, and Scotland, to endeavour to stir up the pure minds of Christians in remembering the sailor and the sailor's cause ; this has been done, in con- formity to the wishes of our society in New York. Nor can 398 TREASURED MOMENTS. I doubt the good results that are to follow, and which now are being felt and seen. The increased facilities of intercourse between the more enlightened nations of the earth are among the happy signs of the times ; and, if I mistake not, impose a corresponding obligation upon Christians and Christian ministers, to do more than has ever yet been done, in drawing more closely together the hearts of true believers of cultivating more assiduously and deeply the spirit of true Christian fellowship and, rising superior to all political and national animosities, do whatsoever in them lies, to strengthen the bonds of amity and union, between the different branches and members of the family of Christ ; thus practically proving, " that his kingdom is not of this world " and the spirit of his children is that of their divine Lord, " peace on earth and goodwill to men." But not only so ; such Christian intercourse may be, and, I trust, has already been, turned to mutual edification, instruc- tion, and improvement. We alternately become teachers and pupils, not so much, it may be, in theological lore, or the peculiar phases of some denominational dogmas, but in the more practical duties of a Christian life the ways and means of doing good, and the proper and most effectual use of all those appliances by which the Christian is to disseminate light and make aggressive movements upon the kingdom of darkness. In these things, no nation or people may be too old to learn ; none too young to teach. An illustration of this may be seen in the improved con- struction and arrangement of many of the beautiful modern churches recently built in old Scotland, by the reformed, seceding party of the Presbyterians : their comfortable slips, low and commodious pulpits, all bear evident marks of American origin ; and are improvements of incalculable importance imported by their commissioners from our infant republic ; and the Scottish mind, though naturally as immove- able as their mountains, is yielding to these innovations with commendable docility. The people rejoice in their increased MISCELLANY. 397 comforts in the house of God, and the minister rejoices that, like David, " he is brought from his straitness into a large place." The old-fashioned pulpits, both in England and Scotland, are, without controversy, most ludicrous appendages to a church, resembling a wine cask stuck upon the wall far up toward the ceiling, with one head knocked in, that the speaker may bob his out. It is difficult to see how even a John Knox could have moved an audience from such a distance, and from such a hole. On entering one of the modern pulpits at Paisley for a week-day lecture, where three ministers were seated, and room for a half-dozen more, and the whole church wearing such a home-like appearance, I could not refrain from whisper- ing the inquiry into the ears of the pastor " Have you not been taking lessons from our country?" "Aye, indeed, have we/' was the reply " and how to build churches and pulpits are not the only lessons we are taking either ; " hence, in more senses than one, and from more causes than one, has light beamed upon the Scotch Church and the Scotch pulpit. So it is with the gown and bands : formerly they were a sine qua non ; now they are, as the Irishman said, " a non, qua sine," that is, they do not force them upon you, as a condition of your entering the pulpit. They ask you, if you will put them on? My answer uniformly was the same as when my tailor asks me about the style of my coat : " Make it so that nobody will notice it " so with the pulpit " Dress me so that no eye, no mind will be diverted from the truth." If your people have never seen a minister in the pulpit without the gown and the bands, I do not wish to be the " first to be laughed at/' These are the things I place among the meats which Paul 'would eat, or not eat, according to circumstances : hence, in every pulpit in which I preached, save Dr. Binney's, of London, I suffered the gown to be put upon me. Although at times my gravity was put to the severest test, as my eye would catch the first glimpse of 398 TKEASURED MOMENTS. the disproportion between the gown and the man who was to wear it. For example, in Edinburgh, I preached in the morning for Dr. B , in the afternoon for Dr. C , one a remarkably large, the other a remarkably small man ; in the one case, I was immured in such an overplus of silk, that the raising of my arms in the pulpit was like the gathering of dark clouds, ready to burst upon my head ; while, in the other case, it was so short and so tight a fit, that it was the bursting of the silk, and not the clouds, that I most feared. A white cravat, however, is still an indispensable in a Scotch pulpit. The people of Glasgow have hardly yet recovered from the shock which one of our American divines once gave them, by appearing in the pulpit with a black satin stock around his neck. What would they have thought of our Nelsons and Andersons of the West, in their palmiest days, thundering from the pulpit, reasoning of righteousness, tem- perance, and judgment to come, in their plain homespun, the linsey-woolsey coats, with coarse cotton shirts, and no cravats at all around their necks ? and what would they have thought of the thousands that hung upon their lips, and were moved by their eloquence, as trees of the forest are moved by the winds? if among them all, not a soul could be found that would be willing, after these ministers had left the pulpit, to testify positively to the character or colour of their dress. They would not know, certainly, whether their raiment was made of earners hair, like that of John in the wilderness, or whether it was like Paul's old - cloak that he left at Troas. Such is the force of habit, of custom, and the power of an early education a power that cannot and ought not to be sud- denly broken when it does not involve fundamental principles. Nor have I much sympathy or pity for the man who will thrust his head into a hornets' nest, lose his eyes, and risk his life, making a great show of courage and zeal, in destroying that which a little patience and a few white frosts would soon have accomplished infinitely better, and without the sacrifice of his eyes. MISCELLANY. 399 So it is with most of these small, trivial matters, like that of dress. By this free Christian intercourse among the dif- ferent nations, light will be gradually disseminated, prejudices Avill give way, and these things become adjusted by the simple rules of propriety and common sense ; and if, in some parts of our country, we have been too slovenly, too indifferent about our appearance in the house of God, we should rejoice in this, or any other suitable means of correcting it ; on the other hand, if they have, here in the old country, been too great sticklers for what we consider "mint, anise, and cum- min," let us hope we may be instrumental in correcting that also. Nor is this all, but the privilege of having our minds brought in close contact and communion with some of those great and good men that have stood the brunt of the recent battle in Scotland, is not to be despised, and cannot be other- wise than salutary to the humble heart that aspires to those lofty attainments in knowledge and piety, which, under God, are to be the laws for moving the world. Dr. Candlish, of Edinburgh, is probably one of the most remarkable men in Scotland, if not in Christendom. When in the pulpit, his power over his audience is, perhaps, without a parallel. Lord John Russell, after hearing him on one occa- sion, remarked, " that had he entered public life as a barrister, instead of a Presbyterian minister, he might ere this have been Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, the highest officer of the crown/' Had I heard as many facts and anec- dotes of the Doctor before as after preaching for him, I might have felt some embarrassment, but as it was, I preached with as much ease and freedom as though I had been in one of our American pulpits ; while at so simple an exhibition of gospel truth, the good Doctor and his people listened and wept like little children. Thus, in the divine economy, it often happens that a little pure milk will answer the purpose of the highest seasoned food. In travelling through England and Scotland, one is daily stumbling upon facts which illustrate the evils and inconve- 400 TREASUEED MOMENTS*. niences of church establishments, and sometimes in the most ludicrous form. In walking one day through the streets of Edinburgh with Dr. Begg, who was showing me the lions of the city pointing out some of the most magnificent Presby- terian churches, whose bristling spires pierced the clouds, I happened to espy, across the street, a very modest, humble- looking building, only one story and no steeple. I asked the Doctor what that was. " Oh," said he, " nothing but a little Dissenting chapel/' "Of what denomination?" I inquired. " Oh, a little Episcopal affair," was his reply. To me this was an electric shock : I had just been through England, where the high towers of their proud cathedrals were frowning down upon all the little Dissenting chapels, Presbyterians among the rest ; but here the tables are turned. Prelacy in Scotland, being but lightly esteemed, soon finds its level ; her robes trail in the dust, and she walks softly and humbly before the statue of old John Knox. But what a comment upon this unnatural alliance of Church and State ! Did our Saviour ever intend to place his kingdom, which is not of this world, so completely in the power of civil governments, that they may, at their pleasure, exalt one part of it and humble and debase another? And in what a ludicrous light does the whole thing appear, when viewed in its practical bearings upon these two establishments ! The Lord Bishop of London meets the great Dr. McCloud, of Glasgow, just on the line that divides these two ecclesiastical kingdoms, and each standing upon his own ground, they shake hands across the line, congratulating each other in their exalted positions no Dissenters, but each belongs to the Church. Now let them by chance change their positions, each take the other's place, and now, forsooth, neither of them belongs to the Church, both are Dissenters they have fallen in each other's estimation ! Like the eagle with his pinions clipped, they are in the dust, looking with pity, if not contempt, upon each other, and must recross the line to get into the true Church, and be respected mutually by each other. Can any MISCELLANY. 401 one^ believe that Jesus Christ ever designed to deliver his followers over to the civil powers, 4o become in their hands the mere automatons to play off such games before a scoffing world? The Lord, in his mercy, ever preserve our country from the follies and dangers of such an alliance ! The pride and arrogance which such an alliance begets in the favoured party, are seen and felt everywhere among church establishments a spirit exactly the opposite to that taught by Christ to his disciples. A striking illustration of this occurred upon a stage-coach while I was in England. On going out of London, I mounted a coach, taking a seat upon the outside ; soon two other gentlemen followed, taking their seats on my left. The one seated next to me proved to be one of the young bloods of the aristocracy, and who seemed to have im- bibed an unconquerable hatred to all Dissenters, and, in con- versation with his companion on the left, poured out torrents of abuse upon all the praying, bawling .Methodists, including in that odious term all the Dissenters in the kingdom ; he cursed and swore most bitterly against all who had the pre- sumption to withdraw themselves from the true Apostolic Church. He was a fierce defender of the doctrine of Apos- tolic succession; and all who abjured that fundamental doc- trine, he hoped would be sent to Sebastopol, and even to a hotter place than that. When the storm of his passions had so far subsided as to make it safe to approach him, I kindly remarked to him, that there was one point on this subject which I considered fundamental, and which he had left un- touched ; and as I wished for information, I hoped he would answer me just one- question, as candidly and sincerely as I should put it. " Certainly ; he was ready to answer any question on t^iat subject." " The question is this : Amid the scenes of the solemn judgment to which we are all hastening, which of the twain do you honestly believe will stand the best chance for heaven, a praying Methodist, or a swearing Church- man ? " Luckily for him, but unfortunately for me, just at this 2 c 402 TREASURED MOMENTS. moment, the coach rolled up to an inn, when this young hero, defender of the Church, sei2ed his little satchel, leaped from the coach, and was soon lost in the crowd, depriving me and the world of his opinion upon this essential point of his Christian faith. The English are most liberal in permitting every kind of doggerel to be engraven upon their tombstones. In walking through the churchyard at Sway, among many curious speci- mens, I noted the following ; and as it contains an admonition much needed in our country, you are at liberty to give to your readers the benefit of it. " I was kill'd by a gun, So now all warning take ; For if you do as I have done, My death may be your fate." Before closing this letter, I intended to have made some allusion to church music which I greatly fear, in some parts of our country, is rapidly degenerating from the pure simplicity of Christian worship " singing with grace in their hearts unto the Lord " into the mere love of artistic, not to say theatrical, performances. Many seem to have imbibed the idea, that an organ, instead of becoming an assistant, becomes a substitute for congregational singing, stopping every mouth, and absolv- ing every obligation to participate in this delightful part of worship, save the few chosen and paid ones, who flutter beneath the shadow of the great organ, and screech and scream out their music in parcels, like so many young hawks holding a jubilee over a brood of chickens. Now, this ought not so to be. We cannot worship God by proxy, nor can we be guiltless before him if we suffer our beautiful Protestant .temples, built for the pure, simple, spiritual worship of God, to become thus prostituted and Romanised into the mere heartless exhibition of a dramatic performance. Better, better by far, that every organ be converted into a bonfire than that such should be the results ; but such need not be an organ may be made an MISCELLANY. 403 assistant without becoming a substitute. The most soul- stirring music I have heard in Europe was in the Surre}'- Chapel, in London, where the great Rowland Hill taught his people to sing, as well as to pray : there they have an organ, simply as an assistant to the congregation ; and at the very first peal of that instrument the three thousand auditors rise to their feet at once, minister and all, and pour forth such strains of melody that the organ is scarcely heard ; and they sing, too, with such willing minds, such a cheerful look and manner, such open mouths, and heads erect, as if their very souls were so full of love and praise to God that they could not help it they must sing, organ or no organ, and with the spirit and understanding, too, though the roof of the building be lifted from its walls. Now, the soul of the minister that has participated in such singing as that must be dead indeed if it be not moved and stirred within him. Ah, but he is moved, he does feel ; such singing is like an electric spark, a live coal from off God's altar ; it touches the lips and the heart of the speaker ; and when he arises to address such a congregation, he knows full well, from what his eyes have seen, his ears have heard, and his own heart has felt, that he is to address living, animate beings, and not a collection of cold marble statues, which, like the prophet's dumb dogs, could neither bark nor sing. Now, is it not a melancholy fact, that in many of our fashionable city congregations the singing of God's praise in his own house is beginning to be looked upon as too old- fashioned, too puritanical, to be endured in the present polite and refined state of society ? And is it not high time that those who minister at the altar should begin to lift up their voice and rebuke this pride, this Roman Catholic innovation ? I rejoice to learn,- by a recent paper, that Dr. Alexander, of New York, and his church are beginning to move in the right direction on this subject. Yours truly. 2 c 2 404 THE POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS CONDITION OF FRANCE. Havre, Aug. \QtJi, 1856. MY DEAR SIR, Twenty years ago to-day, we landed, for the first time, upon the shores of France, at which time the kind-hearted " Old Fogy," Louis Philippe, was dozing upon his seedy throne, perfectly satisfied with himself, and all the world beside, so long as his favourite maxim was adhered to, to wit, " Never make bad worse, and' always let well alone." The " well" of course, always applicable to the French throne, so long as he sat upon it. With principles so conservative, and a disposition so amiable, why could he not have been permitted to live, sleep, and die undisturbed, and with the crown upon his head ? Alas ! alas ! Paris was dying of ennui. The monotony of thirty years' peace in Europe became intolerable. The dull uniformity in the daily routine of business too strongly resem- bled the silent, solemn tread of pall-bearers, and kept perfectly before the eyes of the Parisians one sombre stereotyped picture of the hearse and the grave or, if you please, like one pro- longed, unending Sabbath than which no earthly calamity could be more insupportable to the French people. Hence, the cries of Paris became like the cries of Rachel to Jacob, "Give us a change, or we die/' Their cries were heeded ; the shrill notes of the fife and the roll of the drum break the midnight slumbers ; men fly to arms ; the king takes to his legs ; the curtain drops ; the ball opens ; the frolic begins but the end is not yet. MISCELLANY. 405 " Why does not France break for ever from despotism, and become a settled, permanent Republic ?" I am often asked this question, and it is much easier to ask than to answer it. Nevertheless, I propose to give utterance to a few long pent-up thoughts touching this question, and I do it the more readily because, from the confident tone in which this question is often put, and the bold assertions given in reply, one is led to the conclusion that nothing more is wanting than for another Mirabeau to mount the forum and thunder out his anathemas, or another fiery mad-cap Marat to harangue the populace, and cry vociferously, " Vive la Republique," and the thing is done. Now, such men either have not read or they have forgotten the history of the past. What blood and treasures have they not expended here in France to secure this prize ! What brilliant men have succes- sively risen, putting forth their mightiest energies in pleading the cause of civil and religious liberty lifting high their voices in legislative halls, in the streets, and in the market-places, while their heads have paid the forfeiture of their temerity. They grasped at the substance, but found it a phantom ; the bright star of their hope proved a meteor, dazzling the eye for a moment, only to make the succeeding darkness the more visible. Now, is there not a cause ? Yes, verily, and it lies deeper than the eye of the mere politician has penetrated, and more inaccessible than was the Malakoff of Sebastopol. To one well versed in our own history, and the workings of our free institutions, it may seem marvellous that, amid all the revolutions and counter-revolutions, and all the desperate struggles for independence that have drenched this land in blood, and of all the axes used in chopping off the heads of kings and despots, no one seems ever to have thought of laying the axe at the root of that tree that stands right in the path and blocks up the only high road to freedom. That tree still stands, looks green and flourishing like the fabled upas, shoot- ing deep its roots and spreading wide its branches that are now bending under the weight of their own legitimate and noxious 406 TREASURED MOMENTS. fruit. Let us take a look at this tree, and examine some of its fruit; it may be we shall find an easy solution to the oft- repeated question, " Why cannot France become a stable and prosperous Republic ?" First, then, I answer : The root of this deadly upas is to be found in the Papal system of education a system which excludes and ignores the two great elements of democracy, THE BIBLE AND THE MASSES OF THE PEOPLE. Any system of education, however excellent in other respects, that overlooks or discards either of these elements of power, must of necessity create a stagnant, impure atmosphere, in which none but des- pots can live and reign. Democracy cannot breathe ; and any attempt to establish a republican form of government where these elements are not recognised is as vain and fruitless as the attempt to preserve animal life in the vacuum of an exhausted receiver. The Pope knows full well that there is no book like the Bible to stir up the deep fountains of the soul, and rouse the mind to inquisitive, independent thought and action ; and he knows equally well that there is no system invented by man or devils like that of Papacy to neutralise and destroy the influence and power of that holy book. There is, therefore, a perfect antagonism between the two ; they can never dwell together in harmony ; they cannot breathe the same air ; what is life to the one is death to the other. Hence, in every country, as one flourishes the other droops and 'dies ; and this is the seat of all the opposition to the Bible in our own free schools. It is God's will to have men governed, and there are but two ways of doing it one, by the restraints of wholesome and equitable laws emanating from the people ; the other, by the arbitrary will and dictation of despots. There are also two legitimate instruments in use for accomplishing the ends of these two forms of government, each suited to its own system one is the Bible, with its moral power and hea- venly influences over the heart and conscience ; the other, physical or brute force, in the shape of standing armies. One is an instrument of God's appointment ; the other, of man's MISCELLANY. 407 invention. That nation or people that dare discard the one must submit to the other. The history of the world furnishes no exception. In every kingdom upon the face of the earth, where Popery is rampant, controlling the education of the youth, and robbing the masses of the word of God, there they are compelled to keep up large standing armies, at a ruinous expense, to keep the people in subjection. This general truth finds an illustration upon a small scale in our own country. Take any state, neighbourhood, or indivi- dual, and just in proportion as the Bible has been discarded, neglected, or its benign influences upon the heart and con- science suppressed or perverted, in that same proportion is brute force resorted to, and despotism at once shows its cloven foot. Now, let it be observed, that in our beloved country tens of thousands of pious mothers spend hours every day in the nursery, with an open Bible, bathing the souls of their offspring in the light and spirit of heaven, emanating from that exhaustless fountain of divine truth praying with them, and impressing upon their young and tender hearts such passages as these : " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy- self/' " Love your enemies, and pray for them." " Do unto others as ye would that they should do unto you." " He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty," " he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city/' Such mothers and such teachings are the salt and cement of our glorious Union ; yea, they constitute the foundations, the chief corner-stone, on which the whole structure has been reared : and just in proportion as this cement becomes diluted or mixed up with antagonistical elements, whether of home or foreign pro- duction, in the same proportion shall we behold the founda- tions giving way, and the whole building tottering as by an earthquake. Could this cement remain perfect, and become all-pervading, there could be no bullying in our halls of legislation, no need of vigilance committees, no border ruffians to pervert law, wrest judgment, and corrupt the ballot-box. 408 TREASURED MOMENTS. Now, if the mere dilution of this vital element threaten such disastrous consequence to our great and strong Republic, how can it be expected that France can lay a foundation and rear a similar superstructure, while no such materials are at hand, and no such teachings of the Bible are allowed ; where the very words and phrases, " independence, freedom of speech, civil and religious liberty," have no meaning ; but where, " the divine right of kings, the infallibility of the Pope and the priesthood," are taught and received as mathematical axioms, with all the gross absurdities connected with such dogmas ? For, in this system of instruction, the children are taught to separate in their minds, what the Bible never separates in its teachings, to wit : The priest and the man. The one always holy and infallible, whatever be the character of the other ; hence it is no uncommon thing in Roman Catholic countries, for schoolboys to lift from the gutters their spiritual teacher, the priest, dead drunk, carry him to his home, lay him upon his bed, and with a shake of the head and a shrug of the shoulder, declare, "that though he was a very good priest, he was a devil of a man." It is but recently that a priest in this country was con- victed of murder, and sentenced to death ; but before the sentence could be executed, application was made to the Pope to dissolve the connection between the man and the priest, lest they should both swing together. Now, compare such nonsense, such stupid absurdities, instilled into the minds of youth, with that pure, elevating, soul-inspiring instruction given in the nursery by our Bible-loving mothers and who so blind as not to see the contrast ? Who does not see that the one must tend to perplex and stultify the mind, and prepare a people for the merest dupes of despotic power ; while the other tends to enlighten, elevate, and qualify a rising generation for freedom, independ- ence, and national prosperity ? And can it be a wonder that, with such instruction, infidelity should become, de facto, the religion of the Papal world ; and that the most enlightened MISCELLANY. 409 among them are perfectly faithless and unbelieving in the whole farce, and cling to it only for its supposed power as a political engine, and, as they imagine, the most reliable prop to a tottering, despotic throne ? And as to conscience, it is a thing unknown, an ingredient not recognised in the workings of the system. They have no use for the word, and it might be blotted from their vocabu- lary, and not be missed. Save the few Bible-loving Chris- tians that bear the odious name of Protestants, there is no conscience in France. Talk to the people of national honour, military glory, expediency, &c., and they comprehend you ; but speak to them of God, of his honour and glory, of conscience, and of conscientious action and legislation, and they laugh in your face they cannot understand what God or conscience has to do with their actions in this world. I do not say but that there may be found in all Roman Catholic countries, here and there, an honest, conscientious person, but these are the exceptions. Our question is not what may be the character of an individual under this or any other system of instruction ? but what are the teachings and tendencies of the Papal system ? Do they, or do they not utterly disqualify a people for self-government ? We answer most emphatically that the Papal system of education never has, and never can, prepare a people for freedom, independ- ence, and self-government. Before such a thing could be possible, the laws of the universe, by which God governs matter and mind, must be reversed ; light must become darkness, and truth become a lie. And to talk of a Re- publican government formed of a nation of infidels, with no recognition of a God, or a conscience, sounds to my ear very much like the talk of introducing democracy among wolves, bears, and buffaloes, in the Rocky Mountains. The French have had sad experience and very impressive lessons on this subject ; but they are slow to learn, and have not yet discovered that when they seize the axe and cut off the head of a despot, they have only cut off a limb 410 TREASURED MOMENTS. from the trunk of this deadly upas ; the root of the evil is not touched. And when they shall make another attempt, let them remember, that in seizing the axe with one hand to cut off heads, they must with the other seize the dissecting knife, and sever the ties that bind them to the Papal See take the education of their children into their own hands, and give to them the Bible with all its benign and heavenly influences, the only book in the world that can teach them the true and vital principles of democracy, and deposit in the hearts of the people the seed that shall germinate and grow into a fruitful, luminous tree, which to the masses shall be what the pillar of cloud was to the Israelites guiding them, and giving them a perfect knowledge " of their inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Nor is this all, fhe whole structure and framework of society are based upon principles to secure the results of this system of education, and to centralise political power in the hands of the few. Let any o'ne examine this subject care- fully, and draw the contrast between the United States and any or all the Papal kingdoms of the world, and he will see at a glance the insurmountable obstacles that beset his path at every step in attempting to establish a Republic upon the old foundations of Papal despotism. In the United States, every school district becomes a centre of light and power, where the child, accompanying his father to the school-house, takes his first lesson in politics. Instead of a teacher manufactured at Rome, five thousand miles off, thrust upon- them "by some mysterious power not to be under- stood, the child discovers that his father speaks, and acts, and votes all this seems right, and perfectly natural to the child. From the school-house he is taken to the town-house ; here the circle of his political vision becomes enlarged speeches are made, important subjects are discussed, town officers are elected, members are chosen by ballot to represent the town in the State Legislature. In all this his father has taken an active part ; but he hears nothing and learns nothing of the " divine MISCELLANY. 411 right of kings/' nor of the " infallibility of Popes ;" but the divine right of thought and speech, and the power of the ballot-box, he begins fully to comprehend, and "inwardly digest/' The county becomes another centre or power, then the State ; the larger including the less ; all separate and in- dependent, yet all connected, like Ezekiel's vision, " a wheel within a wheel." Here, instead of Washington becoming one great centre of political power, like the sun in the solar system, we have as many centres as we have States in the Union : in other words, the States are not so many opaque bodies revolv- ing around Washington to receive light and life, but like so many suns, to pour their light into Washington. So that Congress, or the Federal Government, serves only as a convex glass, collecting and drawing to one focus the rays emanating from these thirty-two luminaries, and, in the full blaze of this concentrated light, able to legislate wisely for the whole confederacy, and to promote the highest interests of the world at large. I am not speaking of what our legislators actually do, but of the theory of our government, as contrasted with Papal countries. The wisdom and providence of God are exhibited in the one ; the weakness and folly of man in the other. And let us not fail to notice here the extraordinary advantages that our youth enjoy, scattered as they are over such a vast region of country, of learning, from very childhood, not only the theory, but the practical workings of our complex political machinery, the whole theory of which seems such an embodi- ment of political wisdom as to leave nothing to be desired, and in the working of it nothing is necessary but for the nation to be baptized with the Spirit of heaven, return to their first love, acknowledge God in all their ways, and choose for their rulers and legislators men who fear God and eschew evil men anointed with an holy unction from above, imbued with the spirit of wisdom, whose motto is, " Peace on earth, good will toward men ;" then, and not till then, will the whole machinery of our model government work as smoothly and as noiselessly 412 TREASURED MOMENTS. as does the best modelled engine in impressing the eagle and the stars upon our national coin. Now, from our own beloved country we turn our eyes to France, and we behold just the reverse of all we have described above. No division of the country into school districts, town- ships, counties and states, with their free schools, free presses, public libraries, lyceums and debating societies, to awaken thought, and diffuse light, and knowledge, and refinement among all classes of the people. No, with her thirty-five millions of people, France has but one centre of light and power, and that is Paris. All the other cities, villages, and boroughs of the kingdom are to Paris what the moon is to the sun opaque bodies. Whatever light they possess or reflect, is borrowed from Paris ; whatever power or influence they exert, it is all by the permission of Paris. Paris is the monarch of France, no matter who may nominally sit upon the throne. Kings and Emperors are but the instruments of her power, which she changes at her will. If obedient to her will, they are lauded and idolized ; if otherwise, they are thrown aside " sans ceremonie." Louis XVI. was brought to the block, to make room for a National Convention but she only changed the whip for the scorpion ; Louis Philippe is driven from the throne to give place to Napoleon III. but she finds the little finger of the one thicker than the loins of the other ; but thick or thin, "whip or scorpion, these are weapons that Paris knows how to wield and how to destroy ; in a word, Paris is an undying, indestructible despot, renewing her youth and vigour, and increasing her power from year to year. Whatever Paris is, France must be ; whatever be her com- mands, France must obey ; whatever be her claims, France must surrender. It is easy to see, therefore, that before any steps could be taken for the organisation of an independent Republic, Paris must be consulted ; but for the French people to consult Paris on such a subject as that, would be like the stars holding a parley with the sun, to demand an equalisation of heat and MISCELLANY. 413 light. Before such a conference could be held, the sun must first be dashed into ten thousand times ten thousand atoms, and his light and glory distributed among the lesser lights of the firmament ; then, at the blast of Orion's silver trump, may the celestial hosts be marshalled in one grand convocation, to arbitrate and settle the disputed claims to equality. No, Paris Avill never listen to the French people on such a subject, nor will she relinquish aught of her power, so long as she is made, by the Papal See, and the workings of the Papal system, THE VERY SUN AND GLORY OF FRANCE. Nor are we disposed to blame Paris, either for her power or the use she makes of it. She came as honestly by it as any other despot ; and the same system that has conferred the power, has in like manner created the necessity for using it. And besides, Paris is well aware that the masses of the French people, in their present condition, enjoy as many privileges, and have as much liberty, as they know how to use to advantage. To give razors to a crying child to play with, simply because he wants them, might not be wise. To crowd sail upon a ship running before the wind without a rudder, would be to quicken her speed to ruin. And to throw the reins of government into the hands of a people whose hearts and consciences have never been enlightened, who have never been taught to acknowledge or to recognise God's claims, or the rights and claims of their fellow-men, would be simply to furnish the means " of bringing upon themselves swift destruction/' An amateur, who has spent half his life in rearing birds in a cage, may, from some sudden compunctions of conscience, throw open the door and proclaim their freedom of course, they rush from their confinement unconscious of danger ; and with entire confidence in their own ability to take care of themselves, they flit from grove to grove, from branch to branch, intoxi- cated, with the* largeness of their liberty and the extent of their wide domain ; and, with perfect freedom of wing and song, what is there left to be desired ? Surely, the perfection of bliss is theirs. Their liberator takes to himself great credit, 414 TKEASURED MOMENTS. for this noble, generous act, and his neighbours applaud him ; nor is his wisdom doubted till time reveals the fact, that many had died of starvation others, from exhausted strength and weary wing, had dropped into the sea and perished while the residue had gone to furnish luxuries to the old favourite pussy cat that had grown fat upon the spoils of a well-meant but misjudged philanthropy. And now, the more cautious and reflecting minds will naturally inquire, whether or not this suddenly metamorphosed philanthropist would not have acted more wisely, either not to have reared the poor birds in such ignorance, or when so reared, it might not have been, at least, more merciful to have taken them first into some spacious green-house, to expand gradually their ideas of freedom, and to give them a few lessons in geography, natural history, and the arts of self-preservation, before sending them forth upon such an untried and perilous experiment. So is it with the masses of the people throughout the Papal world they have been born and reared in the gloomy cells of mental and spiritual darkness and degradation, and pur- posely kept in ignorance of their most sacred rights. The little instruction afforded them has been manufactured and labelled at Rome ; and from the hands of mercenary priests these enslaved minds receive it, ex cathedra, as young birds receive for food whatever is dropped into their mouths. And if any one is curious to know the character of these instructions, let him select any one of these pupils at random, and examine his head ; or in other words, let him lift the cranium ajar, and look in, and instead of active, vigorous brains, he finds it crammed with " swaddling clothes from the manger in Bethle- hem ; the ubiquitous old coat of Treves ; nails and splinters from the cross ; tattered remnants from the scarlet robe, and a few thorns from the crown ; a vial of milk from Mary's breast, with sundry rags torn from her nether garments ; a few hairs from the tail of the ass, on which she is supposed to have made her flight into Egypt ; " while a few old bones and winking Madonnas" make up the residue of learned MISCELLANY. 415 matter found in the head of this intellectual prodigy, resem- bling more the show-box of an antiquarian than that sacred laboratory of mental action and discipline that distinguishes man from the brute, and exalts him to a niche in the scale of beings but a little lower than the angels. O shame ! eternal shame ! to that " Mystery of Iniquity " that can so trifle with the most refined and exalted of all God's works, the mind, the undying spirit, which the GREAT I AM breathed into man when he became a living soul ! But the question still returns, What can be done with these moving, ever accumulating masses of uneducated mind^ groping in the dark, though at noon-day ? Would it be wise and merciful, even had we the power, to let them all loose at once, and tell them, " Go, slay your oppressors, and govern yourselves as best you may?" Would it be wise to recall the days of Robespierre, and react the scenes of '93 upon a scale tenfold more terrific ? The burden of having" one intelli- gent despot to rule over us may not be light, but to convert the population of an entire kingdom into despots, stripped of every motive to clemency, would not be likely to make the burden lighter. But this letter is already too long and yet I cannot close it without turning my weeping eyes once more to my own loved land. At this stand-point I am better able to contrast her pri- vileges and blessings with those of the dark Papal kingdoms of the old world, and I am ready to exclaim exultingly, and I trust thankfully, "The Lord hath exalted us to heaven in point of privileges." Yes, I verily believe, that since the Lord led Israel through the Red Sea into the promised land, he has dealt with no other nation as with us. Our tree of liberty he planted in a virgin soil, with no dark, dingy walls to proscribe its limits no rotten systems of despotism to stint its growth and for more than threescore years and ten hath the Lord watered it, nursed and nurtured it, till now its thrifty top is seen piercing the clouds ; its vigorous boughs, bending with goodly fruit, embrace a continent, and dip their verdant fingers -1H> TEEASUEED MOMENTS. into the waters of two oceans. It has already attracted the attention and admiration of the world. And now, can it be that this dark, portentous cloud, now gathering around it, contains the lightning blast by which this goodly tree is to be riven and torn to pieces, and its branches scattered to the winds? Is the Lord about to forsake it, and curse it, as he did the barren fig-tree ? My soul is in sorrow, and I am ready 4o ask," Where is the Lord God of Elijah ? " Where is the faith and self-sacrificing spirit of our fathers ? Are there none among us that have power with God as had Jacob ? Can it be that the Lord hath carried us thus far through the wilder- ness to leave us " a hissing, and a by-word of reproach among all nations " ? Has our case become hopeless? Is there anything too hard for the Lord to do ? O what obligations rest upon a people for whom the Lord hath done so much ! And in our growing strength and unrivalled prosperity have we not too much lost sight of these obligations, and of our dependence on God, as a nation ? In our colonial weakness, our fathers looked to the Lord for help ; and the Lord did help them. Is the Lord's hand shortened, that it cannot now save ? O let us " cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils," and let us look to the Lord above for help. Let us, as a Christian nation, hnmble ourselves under his mighty hand, and return to our first love, and do works meet for repentance. And let us, as Christians, be deeply impressed with the cer- tainty of this one truth that we shall be a happy and pros- perous nation no longer and in no greater degree than we are a Bible-loving, Bible-reading, Sabbath-keeping, and God- fearing people. The Lord save and bless our nation is the earnest daily prayer of Your brother in Christ. NOTE. STATISTICS OF MUBDEB, Governmental and other official reports show that in Protestant England there are only four murders yearly to each MISCELLANY. 417 million of inhabitants, while in Catholic Belgium the average is 18 to a million inhabitants ; Sardinia 20 ; France 31 ; Austria 36 ; Lombardy 45 ; Tuscanj 56 ; Bavaria 68 ; Sicily 90 ; Papal States 113 ; Naples 174. The proportion seems to increase as we go from a land of a free Bible towards the seat of spiritual despotism, until in the sight of Rome it grows fearfully large. The eloquent figures will render it a hard task for the advocates of Popery to prove that she possesses the same influence as Protestantism for the repression of crime, and the promotion of social order. 2D 418 TREASURED MOMENTS. NEWTON ON THE PROPHECIES; OE, AIDS TO PEOPHETIC INQUIEY. Havre, September 23rd, 1856. MY DEAR SIR, The above is the modest title of an un- pretending, but deeply interesting work, which an English lady a kind of Hannah More, who has spent her life in hard study recently placed in my hands, requesting my opinion of it, whenever I should have time to read it. In casting my eyes over a few pages, without the least expectation of finding time, for months, to finish it, I became so thoroughly absorbed, lost, and bewildered in the entirely new field of thought into which I was so unexpectedly launched, that I could not lay it down till I had taken it all in, faint and hungry for more. I do not mean by this language that I became a proselyte to his theory, but intensely interested in his profound research and logical reasoning. The work, at the most, is but a small elementary one, to be followed, perhaps, by a more elaborate treatise on the same subject. Be that asitmay.it is certainly worthy the perusal of the most profound thinkers and scholars of our age ; and the simple object of this note is to draw the attention of our learned divines to this rare production of a very humble, unambitious man. Having seen no notice of it in any of our religious journals, leads me to suppose that it has not yet made its appearance in our country. The author is a distinguished minister of the gospel, pastor of one of the London churches, and being intimately acquainted MISCELLANY. 419 with some of his members, I can speak advisedly as to his evangelical views, the purity and excellency of his character, and his intense devotedness to the cause of his Divine Master. The easy, quiet manner in which he disposes of many modern authors on the same subject, and the glaring absurdities which he so clearly points out, appear at times almost ludicrous. He takes the wind out of Dr. Cumming's sails, and leaves him high and dry upon the beach ; not allowing him even "Jive years " to live, the longest period the Doctor claimed, accord- ing to his own theory. Fleming and Elliott are laid out cold and lifeless at his feet, but not a note of triumph or exultation is heard ; on the other hand, you see the modest man in his chair, looking down, with evident sorrow, upon the ruin he has produced, and seeming to say, " I would rather have been spared this painful duty, but a necessity was laid upon me. The rubbish must be removed." Indeed, the brevity, the lenity, the kind, gentle manner in which the thing is done, forcibly recalls to one's mind the old tradition of the man " whose head was cut off with an instrument so sharp, and wielded with such consummate skill, that the poor fellow never discovered his loss till he went to spit, and it dropped off." It is, to be sure, a fact not to be disguised, that the man who would write a popular work on the prophecies, to meet the wants of this exciting age, to gratify the love of novelty, and satisfy the cravings of a morbid appetite for the marvel- lous, is under the necessity of adopting some theory, or law of exegesis, that will bring this world to a speedy dissolution. I would, by no means, insinuate that any writer has ever yielded to, or been influenced by, motives so low, but whenever the author's judgment or law of interpretation is found to be in harmony with the popular taste, there you will find a popular author and a saleable book ; " the heavens rolled together as a scroll, the sun turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, and the world in a blaze," are not common every-day sights. And it having been so often boldly announced, that the world was upon its last legs, that it was to be the privilege 2D2 420 TREASURED MOMENTS. of this generation to witness its final dissolution, and such expectations once raised, all standing on tiptoe, the people arc not now to be put off by any of your tame, prosy writers, who are always holding back and clogging the wheels of pro- gress. No, no, all agree that the world is to be destroyed some day, and if so, why put it off ? Why not have it all over at once ? And for ministers and expounders of the Bible, who have this matter in charge, to be always postponing an event of such importance, savours too much of fogyism. Such teachers are behind the age ; they are not progressive, but timid, wavering, dare not look truth in the face, and come boldly up to the "scratch." No, give us men of courage, men for the times, men that will stand straight up to their work ; men that are not afraid to enter a magazine of powder, with torch in hand, and touch it off, fearless of consequences, if so be it will only send them ahead. Yes ; fire, steam, pow- der, lightning, what in the world are these elements made for, if not to push lazy mortals ahead, and make them progressive ? Give us such men, and our expectations would be realised, the world would soon be in a blaze, and the last link in the chain of prophecy would be reached. Now, it is undoubtedly true, that much of the popularity of Dr. Cumming's work has grown out of that one idea of bring- ing the affairs of this world to a speedy close ; while Mr. Newton's work has none of that spicy condiment to recommend it. So far from it, he throws us back many links in the chain, from which even his great namesake left us ; and does not admit that the ten horns of Daniel's fourth beast (Dan. vii. 7) have yet had their fulfilment in the establishment of the ten kingdoms, which he believes are yet to be formed within the old geographical limits of the Roman Empire. This one fact is enough to give it a cool reception among the fast men of this age. Men crowded into the railroad cars, full of excitement, rushing to the city to enjoy a display of splendid fireworks, do not like to be suddenly stopped, and trundled back fifty miles, MISCELLANY. 421 just at the time, too, when they were looking for the first rocket to go up ; yet it is sometimes necessary, and our author thinks so in this case. He thinks it better and wiser to dis- abuse the public mind on the subject of this world's speedy dissolution, and turn their attention to less exciting, but more important things, " to a more humble, prayerful searching of the Scriptures after truth, and a more perfect devotedness to the service and cause of their Divine Master." It was my intention to have given some quotations from his work, as specimens of his style and manner of handling his subject, but as it would make this hurried note too long, I will simply quote one paragraph from his introduction : " It is necessary to distinguish very carefully between the different periods of man's history, as given in the Scripture. They are five in number : the last of these periods' is an un- changed condition of eternal blessing, but each of the other four is terminated by a direct interference of God in judg- ment. " The first of these periods extends from the Creation to the Fall. It was terminated by the exclusion of man from Pa- radise. "The second extends from the Fall to the Flood. " The third extends from the Flood to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus, when God will again interfere as.at the Flood, to stop the progress of human things by an act of judgment. " The fourth is the Millennial period, which will be marked by a general rebellion of nations at the close, met by a final act of God in judgment " The fifth period is everlasting, and commences by the cre- ation of the New Heavens and New Earth, wherein righteous- ness is to ' dwell. 1 " Will not some of our able professors or learned divines, who have spent much time in the study of prophecy, give us an able review of Mr. Newton's work, and point out the broken 422 TKEASURED MOMENTS. link in the chain of his arguments. Many, I think, might be benefited by it. The work is published by that celebrated house, James Nisbet & Co., Berners-street, London ; the first series having passed through the second edition. The Lord pour light upon his precious word, and illume the minds and sanctify the hearts of those who profess to be teachers, is the prayer of Yours, &c. 423 FRUITS OF CONVENT DISCIPLINE. Havre, September 30th, 1856. MY DEAR SIR, I send you the following story from the Court Journal, which I am sure you will not hesitate to pub- lish. The appalling fact therein contained furnishes an awfully impressive lesson, especially to a youthful nation like ours, whose religious and educational institutions are as yet, com- pared with those in the Old World, like clay in the hands of the potter. The whole narrative, as contained in the pamphlet, or, as it is here called, the brochure, of the Princess de S./may be relied upon as perfectly authentic, and placed beyond the least pro- bability of a doubt. Indeed the whole thing bears upon the very face of it the unmistakable marks of a terrible reality. Nor is it a matter of wonder that it should produce, as it really has, a profound sensation in certain circles in this country. But what will be the result ? Will it bring forth fruits meet for repentance ? Will it open the eyes of Roman Catholics to the absurdities and wickedness of their educational system, and the abominations of their idolatry substituting saints and tradi- tions for God and the Bible ; or will it not confirm thousands of the wavering in infidelity, and drive thousands more into convents, or mad-houses, which I consider synonymous terms ? Let Protestants read, and ponder well their steps, and notice carefully the quicksands on which this young Princess made shipwreck of her soul. It is a singular fact, that no mention is made of God or of Jesus Christ in the whole narrative ; yet 424 TREASURED MOMENTS. praying incessantly " to heaven and to the saints/' by which she means, to all the virgins and saints in heaven ; possessing, evidently, no more knowledge of God, or of access to God through the merits of Christ, or the way of salvation through his atoning blood, than the veriest heathen that bows to stocks and stones. Surely there must be a radical defect in a system of education, and a fearful responsibility in the author of it, which leaves the pupil in such mental and spiritual darkness, that in the hour of conflict and trial she is led to pray to saints and to devils. Yet, what a comment upon the darkness and superstition of the Papal mind, that the mother-in-law, driven to desperation by the disclosures of her daughter, and the fear- ful death and doom that followed her prophetic tale, should now fly to a convent aud shut herself up in a cell, to spend the remainder of her life in praying to those very saints for the deliverance of her soul from the devil, who could not, or would not, render aid when in a school at Hammersmith, near Lon- don. Now, mark my word, the next chapter in this sad tale of woe will contain a flaming account of the extraordinary- piety of the Dowager Princess cle S. ; probably miracles will be performed by her ; but surest of all will be the untold trea- sures that this Princess and all her noble family will pour into the coffers of the Pope, paying for masses and prayers to deliver this soul from Purgatory ; so that the Pope is bound to make a grand speculation of it. No matter how the devil may overreach the Pope in winning souls, the Pope will always out- wit his master in the game of dollars and cents. O this " wicked," this " mystery" of iniquity, that is wrapped up in the Papal system ! How long ! O how long ! ere " the Lord shall con- sume it with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy it with the brightness of his coming" ? I clip the following from the Court Journal : " The utmost interest has been experienced in the fashionable circles all over the continent by the publication of the brochure of the Princess de S., which, printed at first in small numbers, MISCELLANY. 425 and for private circulation only, has gradually spread itself throughout the aristocratic and religious coteries of Europe. It is now exactly a year since the young Princess Eleanore de S., in the prime of her youth and beauty, a young wife, adored by her husband and much beloved by her family, died sud- denly at the Hotel de S. in Paris, and was buried with great pomp at Pere-la-Chaise, where a splendid monument, by Lechene, recording her age, her lineage, and virtues, has just been put up by her disconsolate husband. In spite of the high position held by the Princess, and, from her great wealth and beauty, having become the observed of all observers, there has always existed an extraordinary feeling of mystery in the pub- lic mind with regard to the circumstances of her death. The sudden determination, taken immediately after the event, by her mother-in-law, of retiring to a convent, greatly increased the doubt and wonder spread around the whole affair ; and now this pamphlet comes to fill us with a deeper amazement than we can well bear. " The pamphlet is printed in German ; and in it the whole life of the young Princess is here set forth. A child of im- mense imagination and power, left at an early age an orphan, with the consciousness of beauty and the command of bound- less wealth, finding herself suddenly transported to her guar- dian's old castle in the Hartz, was not likely to enjoy either content or happiness ; and here her temper and disposition grew so wild and untractable, that after repeated efforts at home education, it was deemed advisable to send her to be trained into rule and discipline by seclusion in a convent. The child was placed beneath the surveillance of the superior of the Sacre Cceur, in the Rue de Varennes, where she could be better trained to habits of obedience than elsewhere. But, alas ! this first experiment proved totally abortive. Three unsuccessful efforts at escape were followed by a decided attempt to set fire to the furniture of her room where she was confined ; and the governess, fearful of the effect of such example on other pupils, and weary of the task of taming this 426 TREASURED MOMENTS. wild vehement spirit, reluctantly restored the young lady to the care of her guardian. " A conseil de famille was held, and it was resolved to send the culprit, now no longer a mere child, but a fine high-spirited girl of fifteen, to England, to complete her education, with the hope that the conviction of being thus alone in a foreign coun- try, dependent on her good behaviour to insure the kindness of those about her, might have the desired effect. The young lady was accordingly placed at , at Hammersmith, and for a time the hoped-for change seemed to have taken place in her temper. But, after awhile, it appears that the bursts of violence to which she gave way, and the fits of depression which succeeded, became so alarming as to cause serious fears for her health. Letter after letter was despatched to her guardian from the young lady herself, begging to be taken into favour, declaring that the climate of England was weighing her to the earth, and the discipline of Hammersmith breaking her heart. "For some time the guardian, acting with the prudence he judged necessary, suffered these complaints and supplications to go on ; but at length, moved by one of the letters more heart-rending than the others, he allowed his anger to be melted, and determined on fetching his ward from the place where, she declared in the strong language she was wont to use, she was ' damaging both soul and body, and hurrying both to everlasting perdition.' The Prince de S. arrived at Ham- mersmith one Sunday morning. The lady commissioned to be bearer of the news reported to have seen her on her knees alone in her own room, praying, with a most fearful expression of countenance, and on being informed of her guardian's arrival, she had uttered a most unearthly shriek and rushed down the stairs like one possessed. The guardian was much pleased with her progress and improvement, and brought her back to Paris triumphantly, as a specimen of the good training of the ladies of Hammersmith. There was, indeed, no token of the old indomitable spirit left within her. She was silent MFSCELLANY. 427 and subdued, submissive to all, and only urgent in her suppli- cations never to be left alone or in the dark. She to whom religion had hitherto been a subject of derision changed sud- denly to practices of the most exaggerated piety, but always persisted in maintaining that it was useless to lay any plans for her welfare, for that she should die before she was twenty- one ! " The Princess, in the brochure, says : ' Even when she became the bride of my son Leon, she would insist upon every arrangement being made with a view to this early death, which seemed to prey on her mind for ever. It was not till the young couple had been married for some time that, by dint of maternal care and solicitude, I managed to wring from her the confidence of her direful anticipations ; and judge of my dismay when she coolly told me she had sold herself to the Evil One, and she would be claimed before she had reached the age of twenty-one ! She confessed that her despair had been so great at being exiled, that, wearied with incessant prayers to heaven and the saints for deliverance without effect, she had at length addressed her vows to the powers of darkness on the very Sunday morning when her guar- dian had arrived, and the announcement of his presence was evidently the token of the acceptance of that fearful vow.' It seems that in spite of every care and counsel, de- spite of the constant watching and wise teaching of the Abbe Dupauloux, nothing could turn aside the idee fixe from the mind of the Princess Eleanore ; and, although every extreme of dissipation and excitement were tried to divert her thoughts, she gave way to a settled melancholy, and died just two days before the completion of her twenty-first year, suddenly, and in her chair, full dressed for a ball at the Ministre d'Etat. The pamphlet has caused the deepest impression on the minds of all who have perused it, and the retirement from the world of the Dowager Princess de S., for the avowed purpose of praying for the soul of the Princess Eleanore, has added to the terrible effect of the tale, which 428 TREASURED MOMENTS. seems more like a dark legend of the middle ages than an incident of yesterday, but is, nevertheless, perfectly true for all that/' The heart sickens at such a tale, yet it is but a fair specimen of the fruit that the Church of Borne produces wherever she gets a foothold. Yours, &c. 429 . A LETTER ADDRESSED TO THE PRESBYTERIAN BRETHREN IN THE UNITED STATES. Havre, March 4,th, 1857. DEAR BRETHREN, "I hear that there be divisions among you, and I partly believe it." Yes, and my soul is in bitterness because of it. In such a world as this, the ministry of recon- ciliation has ho surplus time or strength, of which to be prodigal. Christ's little flock, over which we are placed as overseers, calls for the most untiring vigilance and in- cessant use of all the powers that God has given us ; and when I see the weapons of our warfare, that ought to be used against the common e.nemy, turned upon each other, I cannot refrain my tears at this waste of moral power so much needed in chasing from the earth the gross darkness that broods over the Pagan and Papal world. Far be it from me to assume the attitude of a censor. It would ill become me, situated as I am in this far-off land, to sit in judgment over any words or acts of my brethren at home ; but viewing things from this stand-point gives to the subject, it may be, an undue import- ance in my mind as it certainly does a peculiar poignancy to the anguish of my soul. My opportunities of observing men and measures, and of studying character, have been neither few nor small. My habit when young w^s, to keep my eyes and ears. open, and my mouth shut ; consequently, I often obtained privi- leges of sitting at the feet of great and good men, where" I learned many valuable and practical lessons, not found 430 TREASURED MOMENTS. in books nor in the lectures of dogmatical theology, but which have been of unspeakable advantage through all my public life. I call to mind, the days of my boyhood, when, forty years ago, I enjoyed the privilege of frequently sitting at the table of the beloved and venerable Dr. "Wilson, of Philadelphia, then pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of that city ; and at the same table were such fathers as Drs. Bice, Baxter, Speece, and Hill, from Virginia, and never can I forget how my heart burned within me, as they reasoned of "righteousness, temperance, and of a judgment to come." I felt that it was good to be there ; and subse- quently, on entering the ministry, whilst still young, what precious hours was it my privilege to spend in sweet com- munion and prayer, with such heavenly-minded men as Nevins, Father Patterson, Dr. Nettleton, and others, whose closets at times seemed like the Mount of Transfiguration, they seemed not to know, nor did they wish to know, anything among men, " save Jesus Christ and him crucified." They knew no north, no south, but wherever there were souls in danger, they were ready to fly to their rescue, and hold up " Christ and his cross, as the way, the truth, and the life/' They never felt themselves prescribed by State lines or political divisions. The same blessed gospel which I heard Dr. Nettleton preach at Jamaica, L. I., and which was made the power of God unto salvation to many souls, was the same gospel which he subsequently preached in Fredericksburg, Va., and other places in the old dominion, and the same blessings followed, among the masters and among the slaves. The spirit of a Nettleton never sought nor found any arti- ficial barriers to his work. ' He recognised no difference in position or colour, so far as his office and work were concerned ; he never made it his business to inquire into the relation which one man or one family sustained to another, nor of the origin of such relations. It was enough for him to understand the relation which fallen men sustains to their offended God and Sovereign, and to make them know MISCELLANY. 431 assuredly, " that except they repent, they would all likewise perish," be they masters or be they slaves ; and to him the salvation of the soul was paramount to every earthly consideration. His doctrine was, " Let sinners first be con- verted to God, and all other good things will follow in their train." Dear brethren, was Dr. Nettleton right, or was he wrong ? Had he too high and lofty views of his office and calling as a minister of Jesus Christ ? Would he have been instru- mental in saving more souls had his eye been less single and his heart less affected ; and had he divided his labours between the work of preaching the everlasting gospel and that of attempting to reform the social condition of man ? Methinks, if that good man were to return to earth and listen to some of the speeches in the General Assembly, the denunciation of brethren, and the threats of another separa- tion, he would inquire with wonder and sorrow, " What new revelation God had given to man !" I remember meeting in those good old times, in the South- West, a warm-hearted, devoted minister of the Presbyterian Church, returning from a meeting of the General Assembly in Philadelphia; it was the first time he had ever crossed the Alleghany mountains, and of course the first time he had ever had a seat in that venerable body. After expatiating upon the piety, talents, and wisdom of different distinguished members, and the able and dignified manner in which great questions and principles were discussed and disposed of, his countenance lighted up with a joyous expression, and with moistened eyes he exultingly exclaimed, " I verily believe the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America is the purest, holiest, most conscientious, dignified, and disinterested assemblage of men that can be found upon the face of the earth." This unqualified declaration, coming as it did from a warm heart, fresh from the sittings and deliberations of that body, made a deep and lasting impression on my mind. Time 432 TREASURED MOMENTS. rolled on, till, in the providence of God, I became myself a delegate, for several years in succession, to that same high court of the Presbyterian Church ; since which time I have seen much of the world and much of the church have been delegated to, and have participated in, the deliberations of almost every description of religious bodies, from the World's Convention down to the humble committee of Ragged Schools : and the more I see, and the older I become, the less I am disposed to charge that brother (now in heaven) with extravagance or exaggeration. Nor am I willing to believe now, that the high standard of piety and moral excellence so conspicuously held up by our venerable fathers has, in our day, been lowered one jot or tittle. I verily believe now, if all the Presbyterian ministers in the United States, north and south, east and west, old school and new school, were convoked in one great assembly, there would be found by the Searcher of hearts a purity of character and motive, a fidelity of purpose and action, a sincere love of the truth as it is in Jesus, and a cordial embracing of the great fundamental doctrines of the Bible, unsurpassed by any body or denomination of Christians in the world. This being my belief, how does it enhance the bitterness of my soul to learn that they cannot work harmoniously together ! So great is the outward pressure of darkness here in Europe, from Popery, infidelity, and atheism, with all their consequences, that the great and lamented Monod, with all his piety, learning, and wisdom, could not find it in his heart to separate from a body of Protestant ministers, though he well knew that many among them " held the truth in unrighteous- ness," and many others preached " damnable heresies." With such significant facts rising like dark clouds continually before my mind, I often ask myself, " Is this the lesson that God is about to teach Christians and Christian ministers in the United States ?" Is he so far to withdraw his divine influences from our beloved Zion, that the tithing " of anise, mint, and cummin " MISCELLANY. 433 shall become the chief and all-absorbing work of the church- the saving of souls lost sight of the bond of union broken into shreds, brother standing aloof from brother, saying, " I am holier than thou," until the enemy shall come in like a flood Popery become rampant, infidelity and atheism walk with bold and defiant front till, like the doomed kingdoms of the Papal world, "judgment is turned away backward, justice standeth afar off, and truth fallen in the street," and its defenders so few and feeble, that they are ready to strike hands with the propagandists of the grossest errors against the common enemy? The Lord in mercy preserve the church in our favoured land from such a fearful alter- native ! How often have I looked into the beautiful grounds in the vicinity of Havre, where I have seen from my window a dozen Roman Catholic priests, on a Sabbath afternoon, flying kites with the boys, and pictured to myself a real old-fashioned camp-meeting, not the coarse burlesque, the ludicrous and vulgar caricature found in the fictitious DRED, but one of solemn and vital reality, such as I have witnessed in Tennessee and Kentucky, with a Nelson and an Anderson swaying minds and moving hearts, as trees are moved by the wind, and hun- dreds, under the mighty power of the Holy Spirit crying out, " Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" Ah ! and were it allowable or possible to have such a meeting here in France, and God in his kind providence were to send me help from my dear native land, think ye that I should be very fastidious as to what part of the country they were from ? Think ye that before I gave them the right hand of fellow- ship, and bid them a hearty welcome, I should take them, one by one apart, to catechise them as to their political opinions, and how far they differed from me as to some of the great social evils of our country ? And would I demand of each to define his geographical and ecclesiastical position, before intro- ducing him to the " stand," to preach to the gathering thou- sands " the unsearchable riches of Christ," and to plead with 2 E 434 TREASURED MOMENTS. these French infidels and Sabbath-breakers to become recon- ciled to God through Jesus Christ ? Would such a catechising, under such circumstances, be opportune ? No, no ! Come Dr. Ross from Huntsville, or Dr. Barnes from Philadelphia ; Dr. Rice from St. Louis, or Dr. Leavitt from Providence ; Dr. Breckenridge from Kentucky, or Dr. Peters from Massachusetts ; the venerable Dr. Humphrey from the North, or his beloved son from the South-west ; the venerable President of Dartmouth College, or the eloquent President of Danville ; come one, come all, and the only questions uppermost in my heart, and in my mouth, would be, " Have ye come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ ? " " And with cloven tongues, like as of fire, full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, ready to speak, as the Spirit shall give you utterance ? " Yes, yes, we are so few and far apart here, we have no op- portunity or wish to waste our strength upon each other, or to pull at each other's eyes in search of motes. Our warfare is solely with the common enemy, infidelity, atheism, and Popery, with all the direful, tremendous evils that follow in their train ; and in this warfare our weapons must not be carnal, but spiritual, that they become " mighty through God." Now the very spirit that would make a protracted meeting in France " mighty through God," is the very spirit that I hope and pray the approaching General Assembly will be baptized with. Is there anything under the whole heavens which the church of Christ so much needs as a new baptism of the Holy Ghost ? If there be any one question in the whole compass of divine truth that has more than any other filled and overpowered my own soul for the last three months, it is this : A new baptism from above! a new type of Christianity, that shall more resemble the holy fire and faith of the apostles. It seems to me that the most eloquent speeches, the most unanimous decisions, and wisest enactments of ecclesiastical bodies, are powerless for good, inoperative as dead carcasses, till the Holy Spirit breathe into the church the breath of a MISCELLANY. 435 living, active faith, manifesting itself in a more holy, self- sacrificing, zealous, and devoted life. O let the whole church of Christ in the United States become prostrate before God, in humble, fervent, importunate prayer for this one blessing, that would make all rich, and add no sorrow. Let all, as one man, wrestle with the Angel of the Covenant, " until the day dawn," and the star arise upon the church ! " until the right- eousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth." This shall be the prayer of Yours, truly. 2 E 2 HOW TO OBTAIN A CARDINAL'S HAT. A HINT TO BISHOP HUGHES. Havre, July 25tk, 1857. MY DEAR SlE, Solomon hath said, " Money answereth all things." To the Romish priests this proverb has peculiar charms. They expatiate and enlarge upon it vastly. With them, it may be truly said, " Money makes the mare go." Yes, it is money that keeps fat and sleek that " scarlet- coloured beast " on which the " mother of harlots rides ;" it is money that keeps that beast so gorgeously caparisoned, pawing and neighing, and champing upon the bit, dancing and pranc- ing before the great men and the mighty men of the earth, "who wonder with great admiration." To obtain money, therefore, " is the chief end of man " it is the chief end and aim of the Papal system ; and as the end always justifies the means, no means are too base to be employed. The following newly invented game is just now in full play here in France, the invention of a priest, who is likely to be liberally rewarded for his great financiering abilities. A few weeks since, there appeared in the papers a grave notice of a priest in Nantes getting up a magnificent lottery, in which he himself was to be the sole prize. Accompanying this notice was a most touching and pathetic appeal to all the faithful to purchase tickets. At first it was regarded simply as a hoax, or perhaps some piquant shaft from the exhaust- less quiver of " Punch," which, in despite of prohibitory laws, occasionally find their way across the Channel. Many, there- MISCELLANY. 437 fore, were disposed to make themselves merry over this appa- rent joke, and many were the difficulties suggested to the minds of business men as to the disposal of such a prize. What could they do with him ? To what use could they put him ? In this utilitarian age, the mercantile question would be uppermost, and force itself upon every close-calculating mind " Is there money in him ? " " and if so, how can it be got out of him ? " If, for example, a single lady were to draw this prize, would her title to him be so perfect as to give her absolute control over him? Could she marry, or sell him? No, ecclesiastical laws forbid the one, and civil laws would not allow the other and to hire him out would be impossible, seeing that priests are proverbially lazy. In this perplexity, one called to mind the common report, that human fat was much used in manufacturing the famous Russian shaving soap ; a bright thought now seizes the mind. Romish priests are notorious for their corpulency, like Pharaoh's well favoured kine, pursy " and fat-fleshed." It was now shrewdly suspected this priest might be profitably worked up into materials for manufacturing that important article of commerce but new difficulties have suggested themselves we have game laws as well as civil and ecclesiastic, and there are certain bipeds which these laws protect at all seasons and in all places ; such, for example, as magpies, turkey-buzzards, and the like, that feed on carrion ; and should priests come within the restriction of these laws, our prize would be no better than a blank. The shrewd business men, therefore, came to the unanimous con- clusion, that even if this affair be not a joke, nor a missile from " Punch," but a veritable reality, still they would have nothing to do with it, and would purchase no tickets in a lottery where there was but a single prize to be drawn, and that prize a single priest, and that priest so perfectly shielded and protected by stringent laws, civil and ecclesiastic, that were they to draw him they could neither marry him, sell him, nor make soap of him. But the public were not left long in suspense as to the 438 TREASURED MOMENTS. verity of this priestly scheme of arrogant swindling. A few days ago, a merchant from Nantes arriving in this city, in drawing some papers from his pocket, accidentally dropped upon the floor a bonct fide ticket for this gigantic scheme. " Is it indeed a fact ?" cried a bystander. " To be sure it is one of the most popular lotteries of the day." " But what possi- ble inducement can any one have to purchase a ticket to draw a priest ?" "Ah, it is not the persoji of the priest, but the blessings which he alone has power to confer. Just look at it, if you draw the priest, you secure his pledge to grant you perfect absolution, indulgences ad libitum, and, what is better than all, masses to be said for the repose of your soul, without stint or measure and masses, you know, are very expensive things, which few can afford thus enabling a poor man, if lucky, to work his way through purgatory as expe- ditiously and with as much ease as the rich man who can pay his thousands ; you see, therefore, that it is exactly the scheme to take with the common, working classes, who are too poor to pay for expensive masses ; and, besides, it is a splendid financial operation, bringing tens of thousands into the trea- sury ; and the priest who has conceived this grand idea will no doubt attract the attention of the holy father, and receive the reward due to his genius he will probably be promoted first to a bishop, then be offered a cardinal's hat." Verily, thought I, it behooves the Papal hierarchy to watch narrowly every avenue through which light could possibly be poured into the minds of its deluded victims. Nor can we wonder at their inveterate hatred of the Bible, as a dangerous book to the masses; how soon would that holy book tear from their eyes the vail that now screens the priesthood in their base and cruel work of plunder and rapine ! O Lord, how long shall this great Babylon, this mystery of iniquity, be permitted to make merchandise of the souls of men ! 439 OUR AMERICAN FLAG ABROAD. Havre, August 18^, 1857. DEAR SIR, In these old countries there is a rigidity in law, customs, and forms, even in the most trivial affairs of life, that are often found to be excessively inconvenient, not to say oppressive, and which the best of citizens sometimes evade, by taking shelter under the American flag. The following is an incident in point : A young lady in one of the seminaries of learning in this city had for some time been affianced to a gentleman of rank in Sweden, one of the . king's deputies. A few weeks ago he arrived here, accom- panied by his suite, to claim his betrothed, and have the nuptial rites celebrated. To his surprise, he found insuperable obstacles in his path ; the long routine of ceremonies to pass through to be married first by the civil, then by the ecclesi- astical authorities ; then the solemn promises and pledges required of him, that, in case of issue, his children must be reared and educated in the Roman Catholic religion, which, as a Lutheran, he could not give ; and his betrothed, though a Catholic, had mingled too much with Protestants, and had accompanied them too often to the American chapel, not to have her faith somewhat shaken, and therefore was as willing as himself to scale the barriers and become wedded under some other regime if any one can show them how it may be done. They found here in Havre, two French Protestant clergy- men, and one English, and one German, but their hands were 440 TREASURED MOMENTS. all tied up by some old feudal laws. They could see no help from that quarter. They cast their eyes over the dense forest of ships that lie in port, and gazed upon the flags of every nation, but none seemed to speak a word of comfort, till per- chance they espied the stars and stripes of the American Union. The deputy being a gentleman of great intelligence, partial to America and Americans, he bethought himself, that though Brother Jonathan was quite in the habit of untying Gordian knots, and sometimes cutting them when it suited him, still he had tied one good knot that nothing as yet had been able to untie or cut. Who can tell, but under the ample folds of that flag, something may be done for us ? And besides, there is something in the very name AMERICAN UNION that harmonises so beautifully with the tender chords that vibrate in our own bosoms. Sure enough, the American chaplain was applied to ; the consuls of the two nations were consulted ; their approbation and approval secured. It was first proposed to - have the wedding on board the noble steamer Arago, to make it cer- tain they were on American ground, but it was remarked, " There is the American chapel, owned by Americans, over which the flag daily waves, why not have it there ? " To this proposition all hearts warmly responded. Its doors were thrown open, and yesterday, exactly at mid-day, the deputy with his suite, and a select company of invited guests of Swedes, Germans, Poles, English, Americans, and French, were seen rolling in their carriages up to the doors of the chapel ; the bride, attended by the lady principal of the seminary, with a number of her teachers and pupils, ' though Catholics, were deeply interested in the ceremony. One of the teachers was seen to weep, who said to a friend after- wards, " that the services were so solemn, that she could not help weeping, though she was a Catholic." What added much to the picture was, that one of our most beautiful American flowers from Hyde Park, on the Hudson, was selected as bridesmaid ; and as a last touch to MISCELLANY. 441 the interesting scene, a beautiful Bible ; published by the American Bible Society, New York, was presented to the bride by the chaplain, after the ceremony was concluded, which she received with marked delight and thankfulness. In honour of the occasion, a sumptuous French breakfast at the seminary followed, which, by the way, some would call a late dinner. After which, the happy pair took their departure, rejoicing that, among the many good deeds per- formed under the American flag, to them personally this, though last, was not the least. The Lord bless and protect that flag, and protect every star within its ample folds, cementing them more and more perfectly together, till it shall wave over the union of nations, as it now does over the union of states. 442 THE AMERICAN REVIVAL AS SEEN ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. Havre, May 1st, 1858. MY DEAR SIR, " Oh, that I had wings like a dove," is the spontaneous outburst of my swelling, throbbing heart ; not that I would use such wings " to fly away and be at rest," nor to " wander far off and remain in the wilderness," but I would plume them for a flight across the seas, to my own dear native land, " to receive a new baptism from the HOLY OXE." Then again, at times, I check myself, brush away an unbidden tear, and enter a solemn protest against my unbeliev- ing heart, and pronounce all these ardent aspirations as bad theology, and knowing full well that bad theology can never offer an acceptable prayer ; then, again, I imagine I almost hear my more highly favoured brethren chiding me, in the language of Paul, " Who shall ascend into heaven ? . . Or, who shall descend into the deep ? . . The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart." Very true, yet while I stand rebuked, the lamentation of the prophet does, in spite of myself, force its way into the inner chambers of my soul, " Woe is me, for I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips." Yes, to talk of " REVIVALS * to the French nation, is speak- ing in an unknown tongue. They cannot, neither do they wish to, understand you ; and even from the few who profess to comprehend it, there is so little stirring up of the depths of the soul, such an absence of any warm response of the heart, MISCELLANY. 443 that one is constrained to cry out again in the language of the same prophet, " Who hath believed our report ? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" This " great awakening " in our beloved country, looking at it in all its phases, is, to my mind, one of the wonders of the age a marked and most significant sign of the times ; and, considering the state of the country, the political excitement and party strife, the impending crisis of a threatened dissolu- tion, altogether, it must be looked upon by Christians as a most merciful interposition of God, not only to save souls, but to save our country, by cementing indissolubly the bonds of our glorious and once happy Union. "Man's necessity is God's opportunity.'' For one, I have not a particle of faith in any other remedy for saving souls or for saving nations. No sanitary measure of man's device, none of the modern nostrums of the day, have the least power to heal the wounds, or to restore joy and peace to our bleeding country. If at this distance I am able rightly to scan the providences of God in this marvellous work, the entire absence of man's device in its commencement, the forestalling, as it were, all man's wisdom and action in carrying it on if the GREAT I AM, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, has so sig- nificantly taken this work into his own hands, repudiating all the machinations and contrivances of man, then, it does seem clear to my mind that God never spake to Israel in a language more intelligible than he is now speaking to our nation ; nor did he ever teach a more lucid and impressive lesson to his disciples when he tabernacled in the flesh than he is now teaching to every Christian and Christian minister in our highly favoured land ; and it seems to me the lesson is this : " That whatever be our national trials or wrongs, cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils, and have no confidence in the flesh." This is the nega- tive part of that "great lesson" taught in this revival, and the positive is like unto it, and should be engraven, as with the point of a diamond, upon every heart, namely, 444 TREASURED MOMENTS. "that THE BLESSED GOSPEL, the preaching of Christ and him crucified, accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit," is the only remedy God's infallible panacea for all the moral evils and ills that afflict men and nations, and that Christians and Christian ministers are forbidden at their peril to use or recommend any other remedy. This lesson, committed to memory and acted upon by every professed friend and follower of our blessed Lord and Saviour, would secure to our nation infinitely richer blessings than all the gold in the mines of California. With what joy and grati- tude therefore must we look upon this mighty movement, this " baptism of the nation by the Holy Spirit," when we know that the result must be to draw the hearts of God's people, and especially of his ministers, away from secular and political subjects, to the one great work of winning souls to Christ, to arrest and roll back the tide of anarchy, lawlessness, and contempt for rulers, and to check that spirit that " des- pises governments and speaks evil of dignities, who are as wells without water, and as clouds that are carried with a tempest." And then to choose, sanctify, and organise a great and mighty army of new-born souls, that have just been anointed with an holy unction from above, that shall go forth through the length and breadth of the land and the world, as burning and shining lights, " knowing nothing among men, save Jesus Christ and him crucified/'' These indeed are a blessing " that maketh rich and addeth no sorrow ; " these are the true riches, hidden treasures, pearls of great price ; the salvation of men and nations, and which can be possessed only by those " who, by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life." In this great and marvellous work, the Lord having come, as it were, so silently and suddenly into his temple, to sit as a refiner of silver, and to purify the sons of Levi, it has afforded an extraordinary opportunity for scrutinising and testing the character and the spiritual bearings of the churches in our land, and also to ascertain the amount of active Christian MISCELLANY. 44:5 graces, holy living, and vital godliness in the ministry ; for this revival must act "like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap/' And in scanning the papers, and gathering up the varied accounts of this remarkable work, a most impressive and, I trust, useful, lesson has been conveyed to my own mind and heart, from the close study of individual character, as developed and exhibited in these brief but suggestive narratives. Never did my ravished eye rest with more intense interest upon Michael Angelo's inimitable paintings in the Vatican at Rome, or upon the bold dashes of Rubens's pencil on his masterpiece at Antwerp, than it has upon the picture the group of individual characters brought out in these sketches. Not a few have been taken by surprise at this wonderful movement, and hold their opinions respecting it in reserve ; others have been caught sound asleep, and when partially awake and informed of what the Holy Ghost was doing among them, they seemed like some of Paul's disciples, " who had not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost;" while others, though wide awake, instead of being engaged in their appropriate duties, were found astride their favourite hobbies, Jehu-like, riding most furiously, and opposed to every influence calculated to divert public attention from their own exploits ; and seeing their craft in danger, they cast a cold and jealous eye upon this heaven-born movement, till, in the terrible collision between the Spirit of God and the spirit of isms, they found themselves hors de combat, and then, like another Saul, with " another heart/' they take their place among the true prophets. Others again, amid -the mighty waves and holy influences that surrounded them, stood still and faced them all with apparent stoic indiffer- ence, addressing them as the evil spirit did the seven sons of Sceva, " Politicians I know, Judges I know, Abolitionists I know, but who are ye ?" Nevertheless, while these individual characters constitute a part of the grouping, the groundwork of the picture is formed 14-6 TREASURED MOMENTS. of very different materials; and if the groupings caused bitter tears to flow, the groundwork changed them into tears of joy and gratitude to God. Ah, yes, it has caused the heart to leap with joy, to find how unanimously and universally God's hand in this work has been recognised and acknow- ledged by Christians and Christian ministers throughout the land, and that God's ministers, with few exceptions, have been found at their posts, their lamps trimmed and burning, their armour on and burnished, all ready to fall into the ranks and do battle for their Lord and Master. But among the groupings there were other striking figures not yet named, which attracted my special attention. After this revival had progressed so far as to become generally acknowledged to be a real work of God, and not of man, there were found those so wedded to their favourite hobbies and isms, that they must needs prescribe certain rules for the Almighty to work by, and at the same time plainly intimate that a non-compliance on God's part would meet with their unqualified disapprobation ; and more than that, they should feel it their bounden duty to pronounce it a "spurious work." One of these requisitions was, that God must, in this revival, convert all to Abolitionism, otherwise the work would be discarded ; and all those claiming to have been born again without carrying this ism " as frontlets between their eyes/' would be read out of church, and denounced as " spurious converts." Hence the legitimate inference is, that Theodore Parker, Wendell Phillips, and William Lloyd Gar- rison are better Christians, and furnish to the world stronger evidence of their conversion, than did St. Paul. True, there is one point of resemblance between them : the Boston trio have been perverted to but one single idea to know nothing among men save Abolitionism; while Paul was converted to one single idea too but that idea was, "to know nothing among men save Jesus Christ and him crucified." Poor Paul ! no marvel that he thought himself " born out of due time." Had he been born 1800 years MISCELLANY. 447 later, in this age of novelties and inventions, how different and multiform might have been his ideas of Christian duty ; and instead of harping upon one string, he might have had a thousand little deities to have given scope and variety to his preaching. But let us console ourselves in thinking that Paul's loss is Theodore Parker's great gain. But next to this, and in the same group, is seen the Churchman waving, his little schismatical banner, perched upon a crosier, and proclaiming upon the housetop what every body knew before to wit, " that unless this revival converts men into the semi-Papal Church, and into a belief in apos- tolic succession, and sets their faces all towards Rome, it (the Churchman) will feel imperatively called upon to denounce the whole thing as a ' spurious work.' " It would seem, therefore, from these two specimens in the groupings of this picture, that the Great and Holy One is shut up to the alternative of choosing between two evils ; but whether such a choice will be made, or whether, in his infinite wisdom, the Great Jehovah may think it best to disregard both, and continue " to work all things according to the counsel of his own will/' and run the risk of bringing this glorious work under the ban of these self-constituted judges, remains to be seen. One thing is as certain now as in the days of Gamaliel if this work be of men, it will come to nought ; but if it be of God, as we feel assured it is, neither Abolitionism, nor High- Churchism, nor any other ism can overthrow it. O, then, let all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth keep near and bow at his feet, turn not to the right nor to the left, look not to man but to God, praying always and in all places, that he who hath begun the good work will carry it on unto perfection. 448 REV. DR. MONOD AT HAVRE. Havre, May 2/Otk, 1858. DEAR BROTHER, Last Sabbath was a day long to be remem- bered in Havre, certainly by my own church and congregation. Rev. Dr. Monod had just arrived on the steamer Arago from the United States, his heart warm and glowing with a holy, heavenly flame, and overflowing with love and gratitude to God, for the recent conversion of his son in New York, just before they embarked ; and having been an eye-witness of many of those solemn scenes, and participated in those large gatherings for prayer in Washington City, Philadelphia, and New York, where the spirit and power of God have been so signally displayed in the conversion of souls, and being a Frenchman, and not an American, he was just the man of all others I should have chosen to occupy my pulpit, and to tell the people what his eyes had seen, his ears had heard, and his own heart had felt of that wonderful work of God in the American churches, of which we have read so much,. but about which many still remained sceptical. For the last two months I had been preaching very much in reference to what we call " Revivals," explaining the meaning of the term " Revival ; " pointing out the difference between a genuine work of God and the work of man ; drawing largely also from the first chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, showing that the first Christian Church ever established in our MISCELLANY. 449 world was established in and by a wonderful outpouring of the Spirit of God, which we call a " revival ; " and that there was nothing in the Scriptures to forbid, but everything to en- courage, God's chosen people to pray for and expect just such " refreshing seasons " from time to time, and from age to age, until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. Occasionally I would read a few extracts from our religious papers, in confirmation of some point, as to the nature and character of the work now pervad- ing our highly-favoured country, and which I wished particu- larly to impress upon the mind. Hence my congregation were in a measure prepared to hail with joy the announcement that Dr. Monod would be with me on the Sabbath ; and he did occupy my pulpit both morning and afternoon. To accommo- date different classes, the morning service was conducted in the English language, the afternoon in the French. The Doctor also insisted that I should preach my regular sermon in the morning, and that he would follow. Of course I cut my sermon short, or rather preached no sermon at all, but read the simple story of the prodigal son, made a few brief remarks upon the 10th verse of that chapter: "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth ; " then, with a few introductory words, to prepare the way for this good father in Israel, I took my seat, overpowered by my own feelings such a sense of gratitude to a kind providence, in detaining this man of God among us for the Sabbath, when I had failed with so many of my American brethren in inducing them to tarry even for a night, to cheer and encourage our hearts by a recital of what God is doing in our beloved Zion at home. My expectations were high, but they were more than realised in the simple unvarnished statement of facts, confirming all that I had read in our religious periodicals, and giving to the whole a freshness, and vitality, and power, that can never be communicated through the printed page. The Doctor stated explicitly and frankly, that his own mind had by no 2F 450 TREASURED MOMENTS. means been free from the common prejudices and scepticism of what had been termed "American Revivals;" he was there- fore in little or no danger of being imposed upon or deceived; being forewarned, he was forearmed, and ready for detecting anything that had the appearance of sham or fanaticism. He had attended many of their meetings, taken part in their ser- vices; his eyes and his ears were open and attentive to all that was going on around him ; had stood in the midst of three or four thousand people, all assembled for prayer and praise; had heard short and touching narratives of individual conver- sions, that melted thousands into tears ; short and tender addresses, earnest and pathetic appeals to Christians for their united prayers in behalf of special cases ; yet with all this, there was a stillness and a solemnity pervading the entire assembly, such as he had never witnessed before. Nor had he, in all the meetings he had attended, ever seen anything that had the slightest proximity to fanaticism, nor anything that he could take the least exception to. And to use the language of one of their own ministers, said he, " It was, without controversy, ' a revival,' not got up by man, but brought down from above." " As for myself," added he, " I have not the shadow of a doubt but that it is the genuine work of the Holy Spirit." I leave your readers to imagine the effect that such testimony, from such a quarter, had upon my own heart, and especially upon the minds of a congregation with whom I had been labouring for months to convince them that a " genuine revival of religion " was a thing possible, promised, pledged, and therefore a blessing for which we should daily and most fervently pray. On the Saturday evening prior to the Sabbath, quite a number of his Christian friends met Dr. Monod in a prayer- meeting at his brother's house, and after a few thrilling facts respecting the " revival/' his son, who had accompanied him in all his travels, gave a simple and touching account of what the Lord had done for his own soul, and of the faith he now had in the prayers, of God's people. This was the more impressive MISCELLANY. 451 from the fact that there was no preconcert or plan, but the spontaneous outburst of a newly baptized soul. It suffused all eyes with tears, and melted every heart. At the close of the meeting I had a delightful interview with this young convert; and as I took him by the hand to say " good night/' he said to me, with great sweetness of expression, "Though I am a native of France, I shall always look upon America as the place of my birth/' Monday evening we met again at the house of another brother of the Doctor, and speaking of his mission to America, and of the great kindness that he met with everywhere, he exclaimed, " O how good the Lord has been to me ; true," said he, " I have not accomplished the specific object for which I went, but I have brought back with me that which is infinitely better: the conversion of my dear son is worth more than all the gold in California." The next day we all dined together at the house of another relative ; and when I mentioned the fact that during the day three anxious souls had called at my study, to inquire what they should do to be saved, and to have me pray with them, every heart seemed moved as by an electric shock ; and one, turning to the Doctor, said, " May we not hope that ' that glorious revival ' has accompanied you to France ?" And before we parted, more than two or three entered into a solemn covenant to make this unhappy infidel land the sub- ject of especial prayer that God may be pleased to pour out his Spirit upon France, and to do for his kingdom what he is doing for the American people. This is emphatically the blessing above all others which France needs. Whoso hath faith as a grain of mustard-seed, let him unite in this prayer ; and especially would I appeal to young converts, to remember France in their prayers. And in connection with this, one other thought strikes my mind. The Lord works by means ; and as Dr. Monod's presence and labours in Paris are, humanly speaking, of such paramount importance, and will become increasingly so, if our prayers are answered in the outpouring 2 F 2 452 TREASURED MOMENTS. of God's Spirit therefore I venture to throw out one thought in the shape of a suggestion, or A PROPOSITION TO THE YOUNG CONVERTS IN THE UNITED STATES. Out of such a vast ingathering into the fold of Christ, could there not be found twenty-five thousand who would at once send in one dollar each, to D. Thompson, Esq., 52, Wall Street, New York, to the credit of Rev. Fred. Monod, which would enable him to complete his enterprise and build his church in Paris, saving him the wear and tear of another voy- age, and the loss of so much precious time ? If that number be too great, cannot five thousand be found who would send in five dollars each ? What a beautiful monument this would be of that glorious work of God in our beloved country ! a kind of first-fruits of the "Great Awakening" of 1858. It would naturally take the name of the " Revival Church/' and form a kind of connecting link between this great American revival and the revivals we hope yet to see in France ; and to future generations, Americans, on visiting Paris, would gaze upon that church with adoring gratitude, as it called to their remembrance what God had wrought for them and their country ! And above all, were the young converts of America to do this thing, as a spontaneous free-will offering of their hearts, would they not be able to pray for a blessing upon France, with an earnestness, importunity, and faith, which otherwise they will never be able to understand ? As an American, therefore, I venture the suggestion. It is a thought that has entered my mind since I took up my pen Dr. Monod knows nothing of it. But we all know how invaluable are his labours in such a city as Paris, and what a mercy it would be to relieve him of any further necessity of leaving his work. Therefore, pastors and editors that sympa- thise with this view, and approve of the foregoing proposition, may do much to aid the cause by keeping the subject before their hearers and readers. The Lord have mercy on France ! 4-53 A MOUNTAIN IN LABOUR. Havre, Sept. 8th, 1858. A long line of battle-ships, and an army of six hundred thousand men, watching a mouse. Will the mouse escape ? MY DEAR SIR, An incident has just occurred in my study, which in itself is so supremely ludicrous, and at the same time so significant of the excited, feverish state of the Imperial nerves, that I cannot withhold it from the public ; indeed, it is too luscious to be enjoyed alone. Let me premise, by saying, that all who know anything of my public ministrations can bear testimony to the fact that I never dabble in politics never introduce political subjects into the pulpit, either here or elsewhere believing fully, that a minister of the gospel should have " a single eye and a single heart." Nevertheless, since the last attempt upon the Emperor's life, I have been fully aware of sharing the common lot of all foreigners that of being closely watched, and held under strict surveillance, even to the sending spies to the chapel ; but all that has ever been heard from my lips, touching Napoleon III., has been that of earnest and sincere prayer to God to preserve his life, and shield him from the deadly blow of the assassin ; and, believing as I do, in total and universal depravity, and that his Imperial Majesty needed a new heart, as do other men, I have not ceased to pray for his conversion, just as I pray for other sinners. Notwith- standing this, I was summoned a few days since to the office 454 TREASURED MOMENTS. of the American Consul, but not having the slightest idea of the object for which I was summoned, and suffering from a violent cold, I excused myself, promising to call in a few days. Scarcely had I resumed my place upon the lounge, when the sub-Consul knocked at my door, and entered the room in a hurried and somewhat agitated manner, holding in his hand an order from the throne, through the Mayor of Havre, demanding to know, instanter, " Where I was born ? when I was born ? and where and when I received holy orders ?" all of which questions I answered with as much gravity, as under the circumstances, I was able to command ; for it required no prophet to interpret their meaning. I saw at a glance what his Imperial Majesty was driving at, and the principle upon which he was acting, to wit, " that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure ;" in other words, he intended to give me fair warning that his ubiquitous eye was upon me. " Be cautious, therefore, what you say in the pulpit, and out of the pulpit/' That is the sum and substance of what he wished to proclaim, in the above interrogatories. But, for- tunately, there has been no royal proclamation against DREAMING, and surely he that hath a dream may tell a dream a privilege granted to prisoners and foreigners, even by the Pharaohs of Egypt and the Kings of Babylon. So like Bunyan in his den, " I lay me down to sleep ;" and behold, his Imperial Majesty stoocj before me, and in the most peremptory manner demanded, not merely verbal answers to the foregoing questions, but he must have ocular demonstra- tion of their truth must see for himself the place of my birth, the cathedral in which I took " holy orders/' and the records of the same. To a man wide awake, such a demand would have appeared preposterous ; but it so happened that I was just in the spirit for such an enterprise, and, " as an eagle beareth her young upon her wings," so did I, with the quickness of thought, bear his Majesty across the seas, and upon a snow-white, fleecy cloud, floating beneath the azure MISCELLANY. 455 sky, and scaling the blue hills of the Granite State, lighted at the door of a neat little cottage in Hillsborough county, about three miles south of Milford meeting-house, into which we sentered; and there I pointed out to his Majesty the room in which my pious mother had told me I drew the first breath of life. Then, taking from the shelf the old family Bible, I showed him the record of my birth. He gazed with intense and absorbing interest upon every object that met his eye, as if contrasting the simple furniture around him with the gor- geous palace in which the imperial prince was ushered into life ; especially did he draw a most disparaging contrast between the plain little crib in which I was put to sleep, and that twenty-five thousand franc cradle that rocks into silence the princely sobs and imperial-baby screams of Napoleon IV. The contrast was quite overpowering, and as he turned to the door, he brushed from his pallid cheek an unbidden tear. Now, thought I, is the time to follow up these tender im- pressions ; and away we floated along a zigzag road, over rocks and hills and sandy knolls, for a mile and a-half, till reaching a little level plat of ground, where three roads met, there stood a neat, square-built house, painted white, looking for all the world just as it did fifty years ago ; the very sight of which, like an electric spark, transmuted me into a playful child of a half-dozen summers. We looked into the window ; the room was empty and silent. Turning to me, his Majesty inquired thoughtfully the use for which this house was erected. Looking up into his face with a little surprise, and giving my head a toss, to throw back the long locks of hair that were hanging over my brow, and dropping my arms straight down, as I was wont to do when standing before my mother to re- peat the Shorter Catechism, I replied, impromptu, as follows : " Our noble sires this house did rear, And taught their sons and daughters here ; Taught them to read God's Holy Word, Despite the wrath of George the Third ; Taught them to love the good and wise And petty tyrants to despise. 456 TREASURED MOMENTS. "Thus, While your great uncle shook the earth, To give to you a royal birth, I was here patting through the sand, With a little basket in my hand, And gladly dined on bread and cheese, That I might learn my A B C's." For these playful, childish rhymes, his Majesty seemed not at all offended, but laid his left hand tenderly upon my head, then raising his right, and turning his eyes upward, invoked upon me the " blessing of the Holy Virgin/' Encouraged by the influence which I seemed to be acquiring over royalty, I at once bore him far away over cities and villages, rivers and plains, and mountain peaks, till lighting down amid the beautiful hills and valleys and bubbling springs of East Ten- nessee. Here, the freshness and wildness of the scenery around afforded ample scope for imagination, and for a time seemed to furnish a real feast to the inexperienced and ravished eyes of my royal pupil. First of all, I took him to my Alma Mater, then guided him .half-a-mile through a beautiful wood to a cluster of small cabins, built of logs, twelve feet by ten, covered with clap- boards, with doors hanging upon wooden hinges, and fastened with wooden latches. On opening the door and showing him the corner where stood my little bed, and the little rough table on which I placed my books, I said to him, " This was my humble home during my collegiate course." Looking incre- dulous and overpowered with emotion, I pointed him to another, and added, " That cabin yonder was occupied at the same time by the Hon. F. N. Pickens, of South Carolina, who is now in your city of Paris, on his way to St. Petersburg, as .U.S. Minister Plenipotentiary to the Russian Court." At this information, his Majesty suddenly fainted, and when, by the application of a smelling-bottle to his olfactory nerves, he had partially recovered, he looked up beseechingly in my face, and begged piteously that I would remove him from such scenes, show him immediately the cathedral in which I received MISCELLANY. 457 "holy orders/' then transport him to his own native belle France. His petition was at once granted, for, by this time, my sym- pathies were fully awakened. Again we were afloat, and soon lighted upon the outskirts of the metropolitan borough, called Dandridge. His Majesty clung to me as a little child clings to a father when looking at wild beasts in a menagerie, and having but partially recovered from his fainting fit, he re- quested to lean upon my arm while threading our way through the intricate mazes of such a metropolis. At first, he looked around him with a sort of bewildered astonishment : no towers, no domes, no spires, no triumphal arches, no theatres ! how do the people live ? At length we reached a little open space of ground, where several streets converged, and where stood a small frame building, some thirty-five feet by forty, one story high, covered with rough boards, with only one door, and that reached by ascending three steps formed . of large wooden blocks of dif- ferent length, and set on end. Up these steps, and through this door, his Majesty followed me, though with extreme caution, as if doubtful of what was to befall him. Throwing himself upon a rustic bench, leaning his back against a joist for support, regardless of dust or cobwebs, he looked wistfully around him upon wooden shutters, unglazed windows, and un- plastered walls, then upward upon an unsightly roof, with no ceiling to obstruct his view, and lastly, upon a rough, uncush- ioned box, standing on one side of the house, which served as a pulpit. For a few moments he remained silent, as if in deep study ; then, raising his head, nervously inquired for what purpose I had brought him into that pen. " This/' said I, " is the cathedral in which I received ' holy orders/ and to examine which your Majesty was willing to compass sea and land." At this announcement he swooned away, the imperial sceptre dropped from his hand, and, like another Belshazzar, the joints of his loins were loosed : for some time he remained speechless ; and becoming deeply anxious at the critical state 458 TREASURED MOMENTS. of my royal companion, and feeling no little responsibility to France for his safety, I seized a narrow scarlet ribbon sus- pended from his neck, and drew from under his vest a small bag made of Russian calf, and containing some ten thousand scruples of a remarkable kind of mineral, called the " Sulphur of Malakoff," which I knew he always carried about his person ; holding it to his nose, drawing it gently over his temples, and along his discoloured lips, sparks flew as from a galvanic battery ; the effect was sudden and amazing ; his Imperial nerves were quieted, and all the vital functions re- sumed their wonted tone and action. He now turns his eyes right and left, upward and downward, as if re-surveying the house, and comparing a Tennessee cathedral with the Notre- Dames, the Madalenes, and the Pantheons of Paris. Appa- rently lost and bewildered, he began whispering to himself, "No paintings, no statuary, no pictures of the Holy Virgin, no crucifix, no holy water, no confessional boxes, no wax candles, no chancels or altars, no organs, no bells ! cela est tres extraordinaire !" Then turning his eyes upward once more, as if peering into the dome of St. Peter's, and his mind evidently crowded with balustrades, and naves, and pillars, and columns, and arches and cornices, pilasters and entabla- tures, and what not, he turns his face partly from me ; and noticing his eyes closing again, and fearing another swoon, I held my ear close to his lips, that I might the easier detect any sudden change in his breathing. After some seconds, he began faintly and slowly to whisper to himself : " Doric ? No. Ionic ? No. Corinthian ? No. Tuscan ? No. Composite ? No, no, no. Greco-Gothic peut-etre ? Je ne sais pas. Je ne crois pas." Here his whisperings became so indistinct, that I could follow him no further, and for some minutes he remained in a seem- ingly quiet sleep ; when, all of a sudden, he opened his eyes, and looking me straight in the face, he said, with the utmost earnestness, " Can you tell me, to which of the five orders of architecture this cathedral belongs ? " Here I knocked under, and frankly confessed that he had MISCELLANY. 459 me on the hip. But, seeing how strongly the current of his thoughts ran upon the gross, material, and sensual objects of time and timely things upon works of art and architecture and how little he thought or knew of spiritual things, or of the life of God in the soul, I resolved, while I had him in my power, to preach to him a sermon which I hoped and prayed he might never forget. So, drawing from my pocket my little carefully marked Bible, I turned to the 2nd Psalm, read it all, commenting upon each verse as I read, enlarging particularly upon the 10th showing him what true wisdom was that it must emanate from God, and lead us back to God. That the Bible contained the only revelation that God has given to man therefore the only fountain of true wisdom and that " the world by wisdom knew not God." I then dwelt upon some of the great cardinal truths, that every man needed to know, and must know, or he could never become wise unto salvation ; such as 1st. The lost condition of man utterly and hop'elessly lost, unless God interpose to save. 2nd. God had interposed had given his Son to die, "that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have ever- lasting life/' 3rd. That that belief or faith included the whole doctrine of the new birth " regeneration ;" " born again, and born of the Spirit," &c., &c. Herein is true wisdom, to know Christ Jesus, " whom to know aright is eternal life." Thus I went on, pressing home one great truth after another ; and then added, " Your majesty cannot but perceive, that God's revealed truth, as just explained, has to do, not with the objects of sense, not to encourage or promote the fine arts, or splendid architecture, but with man's spiritual nature, his spiritual and eternal necessities to enlighten the under- standing to quicken the conscience to change the heart to renovate the whole man, and restore to him the lost image of his Maker. These, these are the lofty, God-like ends which a pure Gospel aims to accomplish ; and now, said I, let me appeal to your own better judgment, isolated as you fortu- nately are for once from the servile flattery of cardinals and 460 TREASURED MOMENTS. bishops, and the fawning, cringing blandishments of a corrupt priesthood ; let me ask candidly, if your Majesty cannot hear as well, and understand as well, these simple truths of a pure gospel, while seated upon that rustic bench, beneath this open roof, as if mounted on your velvet throne, under the lofty arches of Notre-Dame, or the gorgeous tinsel and glittering trappings of the Madeleine ? Truth is the only instrument God has chosen to fit us for heaven ; hence the prayer of our blessed Saviour, ' Sanctify them through thy truth : thy word is truth/ And now," continued I, " let me turn the attention of your Majesty to the fruits of a pure gospel, as contrasted with those fruits that have ripened into maturity under the mere perversions and corruptions of the gospel. And first, in the expenditure of millions of the poor people's money, for the support of an oppressive, worthless hierarchy; building extravagant cathedrals and metropolitan churches, for mere architectural display, or the depositories of the fine arts, that add not the weight of a feather to the moral power of the gospel. And then the expensive trappings, fetes, forms, and ceremonies, that are just as powerless in renovating the heart ; why, said I, the wax candles you burn annually in France would give a Bible to every poor subject in your kingdom ; and what is the light of a candle to that glorious heaven-born light that emanates from God's Holy Word ? " Secondly. Notice the difference in the security of life and property. Here, in East Tennessee, they have erected in every village and neighbourhood such little simple places of worship as this ; and on the Sabbath the man of God appears, not in pomp or splendour no rustling silks, no pontifical robes but the holy Bible in his hand ; he stands before the people, and, in language they can understand, expounds the Holy Scriptures that make wise unto salvation, teaching them to love God supremely, and to love their neighbours as they love themselves. God's Spirit accompanies his own truth the people return to their homes wiser and better than when they came ; and having Bibles in all their families, they return MISCELLANY. 4-61 home, not to dissipate or desecrate the remainder of God's holy time, but to search the Scriptures, to see if these things be so. And what are the consequences ? Why, that you may travel through the length and breadth of the land, lodge at any of their dwellings, go into the coves and fastnesses of the mountains, enter their little log cabins, and you will find no bolts or bars, no locks or fastenings to their doors or windows ; yea, more, in the warm summer weather, you will find through the entire night their doors and windows thrown wide open, for the sake of air, and all the family sleeping as soundly, ah, far sounder than your majesty dare sleep in the palace of the Tuileries, though guarded by a vigilant police and a body-guard of thirty thousand men. It is therefore not only wiser, but infinitely cheaper, to adopt God's method of governing men. Give to men the Bible, God's own truth, which he loves to honour, which teaches them the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, and teaches them to love their neigh- bour as they love themselves. This is certainly a far more economical policy than to withhold the truth, and then be compelled to maintain large standing armies to govern them by brute force. " Now, in conclusion, let me say to your Majesty, that more than thirty years ago Union Presbytery met in this humble place, laid their hands upon my head, and consecrated me to the holy, self-denying work of preaching the pure gospel of the Son of God. It was composed of some twenty ministers, among whom were the great and good Dr. Anderson, Dr. McCampbell, Dr. Coffin, and others, whose self-sacrificing spirit commended the gospel they preached, and who have left the impress of their great minds and benevolent hearts upon this entire population ; and so thoroughly imbued was this Presbytery with the pure apostolic spirit of giving up all for Christ, and having all things common, that at the time of their meeting in this cathedral, as you call it, had all the property belonging to the twenty ministers composing the Presbytery been sold, and converted into money, it would not have been 462 TREASURED MOMENTS. sufficient to purchase the ring which the Bishop of Paris wears upon his finger, or the snuff-box which your Majesty carries in your pocket. This, then, is the sum and substance of all I am aiming to do at Havre : " To persuade men to turn to God, and to love him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love their neigh- bours as they love themselves, and to do good to all men as they have opportunity ; to be in subjection to the powers that be, obey magistrates, honour the king, never speak evil of dig- nities, and, as much as in them lies, live peaceably with all men. And will your Majesty be kind enough now to tell me what there can be in a pure gospel to endanger his throne ?" For a few moments he remained silent, apparently writhing under the truth, then exclaimed, as if hoping I would not un- derstand him, " J'ai le coeur perce de douleur, parcequ'il m'est tout-a-fait impossible de comprendre cela." Poor man! thought I ; earthly crowns and kingdoms at his beck, yet cannot under- stand the simplest truth connected with those unfading crowns which God has in reserve for all who love him. His Majesty then addressed me in English, begging that I would at once take him back to his own throne, which, if he should be fortu- nate enough to reach, he would never be caught upon such a fool's errand again. Fortunately our aerial car was at the door ; and after assisting his Imperial Majesty into its soft, elastic folds, and loosing the check-rein, as the lightning leaps upon the wire, so did our ethereal steeds bear us across the seas to the port of Havre. We lighted at the door of the Seamen's Chapel, as his Majesty had requested just to look in. After surveying it for a few mo- ments inside and out, he simply remarked, "A I'Americaine," and in less than a minute we were in the palace of the Tuile- ries. His court and courtiers crowded around ; and as the news spread, the crowd increased. A speech was called for ; his Majesty consented. It was brief and to the point : rehears- ing the perils of his adventures, and concluding in the follow- ing words : " The world can testify how dear to my heart is MISCELLANY. 463 the French throne and the French people," terms always used as synonyms, especially among sovereigns. "The ex- posed condition, therefore, of our great commercial port of Havre did not fail to attract the due attention of the throne. Your Emperor soon discovered that the dangers to which Havre was exposed arose from two causes first, the unfinished state of the new fortifications ; and second, that American bomb- shell called the Seamen's Chapel, standing in her midst. To the latter of these your Emperor has, for the last two months, given his undivided attention; has perforated that shell to the very core ; questioned closely the head and chief, demanded and obtained the right of visiting the place of his birth and of reading the records ; examined the room in which he was born, the furniture, and even the crib in which he slept and oh ! what a contrast to that cradle (pointing to it) in which your royal prince, the hope of France, is rocked ! (Tremendous applause.) He has also examined the building in which he was taught the first rudiments of his education, and the room he occupied during his collegiate course ; and though last, not least, the very cathedral in which he received ' holy orders' and oh ! no tongue can depict the homely, tasteless, unadorned, unornamented rooms he has been compelled to pass in making this investigation ! Not a picture, or portrait of our holy Mother of God, nor of his Holiness the Pope, nor of the holy Apostles not a crucifix to be seen, not a wax-candle burning, nor a string of beads by which he could tell how often or how long he prayed, or whether he prayed at all. What think you of that, you who live in the refined, Christian city of Paris ? (Murmurs and hisses.) But, more shocking than all this, I received the most positive testimony that he passed from the cradle through all the various stages of his education into pub- lic life, without ever dipping so much as the tip of his finger into holy water ; and more than that, he was never known to bow his knee to the holy Virgin Mary. Now, to say nothing of his religion, he would ask them, as true-hearted Frenchmen, what they thought of his gallantry ? (Groans and hisses.) 464 TREASURED MOMENTS. Now, the conclusion to which your Emperor has come, touch- ing this whole matter, is simply this that, seeing we are at peace with all the world beside, and that we have a well- disciplined army of six hundred thousand men, with a royal navy so increased and improved as to strike terror into British hearts, therefore we may confidently proclaim to the whole world that, so far as the Seamen's Chapel at Havre is con- cerned, the French throne can be protected, and may be con- sidered firm and secure." His imperial Majesty now retired, amid the deafening shouts of the multitude " Vive TEmpereur ! Vive 1'Empereur ! " Rockets began to whiz over the city ; bonfires from a hundred hills lighted up the heavens ; chiming bells sent forth their peals ; martial music and the roll of a thousand drums only increased the excitement, till lo, the booming of a hundred cannon broke my slumbers. I awoke, and behold, it was a dream ! 465 FINANCIAL REVERSES OF 1857. Review of the Year 1857 Adversity amid Prosperity The Causes of tho Financial Panic Not Slavery, Extravagance, Currency, &c., but the Lord's Doing Missions Their bright Anticipations Want of Liberality dis- pleasing in the sight of the Lord A Just Retribution. Havre, January, 1858. " And upon, the earth distress of nations, with perplexity." DEAR SIR, The year just closed has been fraught with extraordinary events. The voice of God in his provi- dence has been heard in tones of thunder, the reverberations of which are still heard in the distance, like the rumblings of heavy ordnance, or the mutterings of a receding army. This sin-stricken world probably never presented to the eye of heaven more startling and significant phenomena than during the past year. No cholera, no epidemics, no desolating scourge of flood or famine ; on the other hand, the genial showers descended, and the earth yielded her increase more abundantly and more universally than in any one year, since the " bow of promise" was seen in the cloud. Yet what discordant sounds have fallen upon our ears ! What a commingling of prosperity with adversity, tears of transporting joy with those of unmitigated sorrow. How rapidly have the shouts of the reaper over an abundant harvest been followed by the wail of hunger and the cry for bread ; pinching want amid plenty, starvation and death amid profusion and prodigality. As with the poor, so has it been with the rich. Merchant princes, who but yesterday were pulling down " their barns to build greater," and saying to their souls, "Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry/' 2G 466 TEEASURED MOMENTS. have been suddenly smitten down as by the hand of God ; their streng th and their courage alike failing them ; trans- muted as by a magic wand from their giant-like power and greatness, into the imbecility and helplessness of infancy, and were actually seen in the streets crying for gold, as spoiled children cry for candy ; and because they could not be indulged, scores of them, Judas-like, went and hung them- selves, in the true spirit of Micah's lamentation, "Ye have taken away my gods, and what have I more?" All this occurring, too, at the very flood-tide of prosperity. Never, never, since gold was first discovered " in the land of Havilah," has the earth disgorged its treasures more lavishly ; never was gold so abundant ; never did the world so stagger and groan under the weight of this accursed thing ; and yet, what an anomaly ! What a paradox is here presented to the mind 1 The granaries of the world running over, literally bursting with corn, yet the poor have cried in vain for bread, and died of starvation. The coffers and vaults of the rich of this world have been crammed full of the precious metal, yet the rich have cried for gold, and died by their own hands, because they could not get at it. No marvel then that the Christian anxiously inquires like David, "Is there not a cause ?" Ah ! verily there is ; and it is not a little curious and instructive to notice the different phases this subject assumes in the minds of the many who have written upon it; each viewing it' from his own stand-point, and through his own glasses. Hence to the Abolitionist, whose long and steady gaze upon the sunny South has so bleared his optics, as to see everything through a false medium, this terrible crash and panic seem but the just retribution of heaven against slavery. To the utilitarian, who has watched so anxiously, and n^ourned so sincerely over the growing pride and extrava- gance of the age, an ample solution is found in the hooped skirts, the rustling flounces, and the alarming dimensions of ladies' dresses. MISCELLANY. 467 While the merchants and politicians of the day see it very clearly in the wretched system of long credits and paper cur- rency. While still another class, " the steady and staid men" who despise balloonery and fancy stocks, charge it all home upon the Jacob Littles of Wall-street. Now, however de- plorable each and all these evils may be in themselves, and, however much they may have contributed to hasten on the crisis, and give poignancy to the bitter issue, the Christian can never be satisfied in taking so low and so narrow a view of this lightning blast, this thunder-bolt from a cloudless sky, this great moral earthquake, that has startled the world, and shaken Christendom to its centre. No, the Christian's mind will struggle with irrepressible agony, to penetrate farther, to look through and beyond all these secondary causes up to the GREAT FIRST CAUSE, and recognising his outstretched hand, will fall humbly and reverently at his feet, and exclaim, in the language of one of old, " This is the Lord's doing," " his judgments are abroad in the earth ;" and " Wherefore hath he thus afflicted us ?" Let us therefore quit our own stand- point, lay aside our microscope, and take a wider sweep over this world's history, for the last fifty years, and see if we can- not gather up a few facts, that may shed light upon this most marked and signal of God's providences. Fifty years ago, Evangelical Christians in Great Britain and America began to open their eyes upon the wants of a perish- ing world. God seemed to breathe upon these two great Pro- testant nations, as he did upon the " dry bones in the valley of vision." Many arose, stood upon their feet, and began solemnly to inquire into the meaning of our Lord's command, " Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." The cry was raised, " Who will go ?" A few girded on the armour, and promptly responded, " Here, Lord, are we, send us." They were sent, and though discouragements fol- lowed, and the bones of Henry Martyn were soon seen bleach- ing on the sands of Persia, and the lovely corpse of Harriett Newell laid in an early grave, yet, nothing daunted, the faith 2G 2 468 TREASURED MOMENTS. of Christians seemed to wax stronger and stronger ; and the cry for more missionaries and more means became louder and louder, till the hearts and purses of thousands were opened ; new recruits were sent out, in greater and still greater numbers ; obstacles seemed gradually to yield, old and formidable bar- riers seemed everywhere giving way ; new and hitherto unex- plored fields, all white to the harvest, opened invitingly and hopefully before them ; valleys were filled up, mountains be- came a plain, and, in little more than a quarter of a century, the glad tidings were announced to the world, " that almost all nations were open, and ready for the gospel," the isles of the sea waiting for God's law, Ethiopia stretching out her hands to God ; in a word," "the waters were upon an heap, and the priests, that bear the ark, standing firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan." To these two great Christian powers, the watchword seemed to be, "Arise, enter in, take posses- sion ; for the kingdoms of the world shall soon become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ." To the youthful, ardent mind, all this seemed like the dawn of millennial glory. Never can I forget, how my young heart bounded in listening to the first missionary appeal, and with what joy and pride did I drop into the missionary box my first hard-earned shilling. But alas ! these fair prospects, so full of hope, so bright with speedy results, were like the songs and dances of Miriam on the shores of the Red Sea ; the wilderness, that was to try their faith, lay still before them ; they had not tasted the " bitter waters of Marah ; " neither had they learned to trust solely in God, for depositing their bread every morning at their tent-door. So with British and American Christians. They had only girded on the harness, and therefore could not boast } as he that putteth it off. True, they began to give sparingly of their abundance ; here and there, they laid a sickly lamb upon the altar. Bible, missionary, and tract societies received what thef could conveniently spare, without feeling it ; but the idea df making sacrifices for this world's salvation, and MISCELLANY. 469 offering themselves as "an whole burnt offering to God," scarcely entered the hearts of those "that remained by the stuff." The missionaries themselves, who left fathers and mothers, houses and lands, were supposed to be the only ones required to possess a self-sacrificing spirit. The spirit and type of primitive Christianity, such as " parting with their possessions," " selling their goods," and laying all upon God's altar, found little or no favour. Hence, when the returned missionaries began to spread out before the churches the wants of a dying world, and elo- quently proclaim the joyful news, " that the set time to favour Zion had come/' and held up before their eyes this type of primitive piety and faith, and began to make their appeal in the true spirit and language of the prophet " Bring ye all the tithes into the store-house, that there may be meat in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it, and all nations shall call you blessed, saith the Lord of hosts." When such claims began to be pressed upon the heart and the conscience, low murmurs began to be heard " much learning hath made these missionaries mad ; they are turning the world upside down." What ! am I called upon to part with my possessions, to sell all I have and give to the poor ? Is our loving Saviour so hard a master ? Are the wants of this perishing world so great and so urgent ? Ah, verily, " These are the bitter waters of Marah " " Let us return to Egypt." But for years God, who is very pitiful and slow to anger, bore these complaints, and sweetened the waters, till at length many openly and boldly declared, " We will not be pressed any longer on this subject ; our property is our own, we will use it as we please ; besides, what is the use ? If we were to give all we possess, it would no more meet the wants^Hd the necessities of eight hundred millions of the heatlSi, than would ' five loaves and a few fishes ' satisfy the hunger of ' five thousand men, besides women and children/ Therefore, 470 TREASURED MOMENTS. unless God, by a miracle, shall increase our means, the heathen must perish ' for lack of knowledge/ Let God furnish the means, then will we send his glorious gospel over the world/' The Lord took them at their word ; and at this very point let us mark well God's wonderful providences, . " and consider the operation of his hands ;" for never were his dealings with Israel in the wilderness more marked and significant. As God com- manded Moses to lead his faithless and murmuring children to the rock in Horeb, there to display his power, and the exceeding riches of his grace, in bringing water from the rock, so did he lead these two great Protestant murmuring nations to the mountains of California, and to the plains of Australia ; and there, as in the presence of the whole world, did he uncover before their eyes the inexhaustible treasures which had been kept hid from the foundations of the world ; con- cealed from Roman Catholics and from savages, reserved in store for his children, to be revealed just at the time when they could exert the greatest moral power in the subjugation of this world to the reign of the Prince of Peace ; and as Moses addressed Israel at the rock, so did God, in his provi- dences, address these two nations, as he opened to them these hidden treasures of his power : " Hear now, ye rebels ; must I bring you gold out of these mountains ? Must I show you the exceeding greatness of my riches, that lie buried in these plains ? Come hither, ye faithless murmurers ! let me prove you, and try you. Behold the resources of my hidden power ; be not faithless, but believing ; enter ye into the secret cham- bers of my store-house ; help yourselves, and no longer com- plain that ye are straitened in me ; freely ye shall receive, freely give, till my glorious gospel shall be proclaimed through- out the world, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." And have not these two nations helped themselves freely ? What jnillions upon millions have they taken out of God's storehdft ! But what have they done with it ? What has becomewthe Lord's money? Ah ! this is the startling ques- tion. And the proper answer to this question furnishes the key, to unlock the mysteries of the late terrible crash and MISCELLANY. 471 panic. It is the return of the Lord of the vineyard. He has come to make inquisition, to examine the ledger. The foot- steps of the Almighty are heard in our streets ; he is knocking at every man's door, and crying out in tones of thunder, " What have ye done with my money ? ' The heathen are still perishing for lack of knowledge ; the dark places of the earth are still filled with the habitations of cruelty.' What has become of my money ?" No marvel that the merchant turns pale at this terrific interrogatory from his Lord and Master. No wonder that the banker hurls into the vaults his bags of gold, shuts to the safe, locks the door, puts the key in his pocket, and walks warily through the streets, whispering to himself, " I have not got it," no ; and the merchant says, " he has not ;" the broker has not ; the stock-jobber has not ; the millionaire, who but yesterday boasted of his wealth, puts on an innocent face, and swears most solemnly that he knows nothing about it. No one can be found that knows anything of the Lord's money. Ah ! but do they think that God, who saw " the golden wedge and Babylonish garment among the stuff," is ignorant of what has been done with his money ? No, verily, " the eyes of the Lord run to and fro through the whole earth ;" he knows full well what they have done with his money ; and the west- end of London, and the palaces of Fifth Avenue, and ten thousand other monuments of human pride and human ambition pro- claim, with trumpet tongue, the use to which God's money has been put ; and this terrible revulsion, that has startled the world, is nothing more, nor less, than the voice of God utter- ing the awful charge against his children now, that he brought against Israel of old, by the mouth of his prophet, 400 years before the Christian era. " Will a man rob God ? Yet ye have robbed me, in tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse ; for ye have robbed me, even these two nations." The Lord give us repentance, and restore unto usjte joy of his salvation ; then shall we offer ourselves an whole burnt offering unto the Lord, keeping back no part of the price. 472 KEEP YOURSELVES FROM IDOLS." GOD sometimes, by a single stroke of his hand, more deeply engraves upon the human heart a single truth, or command, than could have been effected by years of patient study under ordinary circumstances. The following is an illustration in point : Possessing from very childhood a natural repugnance at receiving anything second- hand, and always disposed to strike out some new path for myself, I found, on entering my profession, the same repugnance clinging to me, giving shape and character to all my public acts. Hence, I never sought, or desired the pastorate of an old church ; however desirable it appeared to others, to me it seemed too easy a berth. To build upon another man's foundation never met the cravings of my restless nature. It seemed too much like simply watching over the works of others, without doing any work myself. But only let some new enterprise be suggested, calcu- lated to awaken and call forth the energies of the whole man, physical, mental, and spiritual, and it would at once fire my soul. Thus, in whatever place or city God cast my lot, a necessity was laid upon me of undertaking something, and accomplishing something, that might never have been thought of by any one else. I felt bound to leave that place or city with some marks or evidences of being different, and made better, for my having lived in it. It was, therefore with profound gratitude to God, and with exultati^p amounting to enthusiasm, that I responded to the proposition of one of the Lord's noblemen, to build for me a MISCELLANY. 473 new church, and start a new enterprise in one of the most lovely cities, and the most desirable place as a residence, in the world.* This church was to be built of beautiful stone, completed with bell, organ, furniture ; and all paid for, without anything for me to do, except to express my wishes as to how it should be done. What more could I have asked ? What a field of labour now opened to my view ! How exactly to my taste ! What spot in the wide world so well suited to the rearing of my young family ! Was ever a son of Adam more highly favoured ? What beautiful castles I built in the air ! I had even looked out the grounds, on which to erect my cottage ; and as the walls of this church were going up, how often, in passing through that city, did I leave the train, stop for the night, and, in the dusk of evening, steal within its sacred inclo- sure, yet roofless, and kneel upon the stones and mortar, and pour out my soul in prayer, that God would make that house a PLACE where to record his name, a shining light to that city, and the gate of heaven to many souls. What a beautiful finish, thought I, to my rough and chequered life ! How quiet and peaceful the haven where I am at last to cast anchor ! How soft and downy the pillow on which I am now to lay my aching head, and soothe my throbbing heart ! Yes, all these airy castles were looming up before my mind, when alas ! as I was giving the last finishing touch to the dedication sermon, and pluming my wings to take possession of my feathered nest, the Lord " stirs it up " his hand is laid heavily upon me, my voice utterly fails, and once more I must repair to a foreign land, to find relief in hard labour, but in a clime, which had twenty years before brought me up from the verge of the grave. The path of duty was made plain, the finger of God all but visibly pointing to it, and his voice almost audibly saying, " This is the way, walk ye in it." Conferring not with flesh and blood, I bowed in submission, packed my trunks," and on * See the engraving on page 475. 471 TREASURED MOMENTS. the 25th of December, 1854, embarked at New York, with my wife and seven children, for my old field at Havre-de-Grace, in France ; since which time I have hung the picture of the SOUTH CHURCH, NEW HAVEN, in my study, as a kind of beacon light or warning against the sin of idolatry. " God's ways are not as. our ways, nor his thoughts as our thoughts ; " yea, infinitely higher and wiser are his ways and thoughts, than our ways and thoughts. It proved so in this case. The same invisible finger that turned me away from New Haven, and pointed me to another field, pointed to another, greater, and better man, for this new enterprise ; one whom the Lord delighted to honour causing all to rejoice, "that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." "It is not in man, that walketh, to direct his steps." He only can be safe and happy who always, in all places and under all circumstances, lieth low, humble, and passive in God's hand. It is in this way only that we are able to keep ourselves from idols. SOUTH CHURCH, NEW HAVEN. 477 YOUNG PERRY ; OR, THE SAILOR BOY. I HAVE had several interesting cases at the Hospital, among them that of a young man, whose parents live at Sand Lake, about five miles from Albany, and who are a branch of the Commodore Perry family, of Lake Erie fame. In my daily beats around the hospital, and among the cots appropriated to English and American sailors, I espied a young man with keen black eyes, and thin American visage, that particularly attracted my attention ; and I approached his cot with more than usual interest, from the fact of his listening with eager and profound attention to every word I said to others around ' him. After a few preliminary questions, which moistened his eyes, I put what to me is the question of questions, " Have you a pious, praying mother ? " This was more than he could stand. He burst into tears, and reaching out his arm at full length to seize his coat, that lay upon a chair at the head of his cot, he thrust his hand into the pocket, drawing out a number of letters, saying, " Yes, indeed I have. Please read these letters received to-day, and you'll see how my mother prays for me/' I tried to read them, but my heart and my eyes failed me. Such pleadings, such tender solicitude, such beseeching his return to his father's house and to his mother's arms, her only darling son. It was enough to melt the heart of a stone ! When he saw the difficulty I laboured under in attempting to read them, and becoming more calm himself, he said, " Well, lay down the letters, and I'll tell you all about it. More than seven years ago I ran away from 478 TREASUEED MOMENTS. home, was a wild reckless boy, and went to sea, against my parents' will ; and though I have been frequently in the United States since, I have never been home, nor have I seen either of my parents, nor my only sister. Being an only son, they have spared no pains in trying to find me, and to take me home. Whenever they have heard of my being in any American port, New Bedford, New York, or elsewhere, my father would start immediately to search me out ; but I have always and successfully eluded his search, and resisted all their entreaties to return. And you see," added he, " by these letters that my father reached my boarding-house in New York just two hours after I had sailed on this my last voyage for Havre. And now," said he, " if I should die here, I want you to take charge of these letters and answer them for me." Here his feelings so overcame him, there was a long pause ; and fearing lest his strength would give out, I told him I would retire, leave him for a quiet rest, and return the next morning, which I did. I now questioned him as to the reasons for keeping his parents in such a constant agony of mind. " Even if you are determined to follow the seas against their wishes, why not mitigate their sorrows by an occasional visit ? " "To tell you the truth," said he, "I have been associated with such vile and reckless characters, spending my money as fast as I earned it, and often faster, that I was ashamed to see them ; and seldom could I keep money long enough to take me home, nor could I afford a decent suit of clothes ; for my money was squandered as fast as it came into my hands, and I was too proud to go home a ragged pauper. Why," said he, " in my voyages to China, and round and round the world, I have had money enough to make me rich, if I had only taken care of it. I took one voyage to Australia, and there went into the mines ; I was very successful, and had at one time over seven- teen hundred pounds sterling : but instead of going directly home, I squandered it like a fool, faster than I made it." Thus he went on with his history, which in fact is but the his- MISCELLANY. 479 tory of thousands, which only proves that our ships, with their concomitants, are the Sodoms and Gomorrahs into which the reckless youth of our country run, and in which are engulfed the fond hopes of many a weeping parent. I have visited this young man almost every day, labouring with him upon two important points, the giving of his heart to God, and becoming a new man in Christ Jesus ; and, if restored to health, return- ing immediately to his parents. Upon this first he is serious, thoughtful, often tender and melted to tears ; listens with deep earnestness to all my counsels, and receives thankfully and reads carefully, and I hope prayerfully, such tracts as I selected for his reading. And as to the second point, he has given me his solemn pledge that if God spares him, and raises him up from this sickness, he will return to his father's house ; and oh, let it be made the subject of daily and importunate prayer, that he may return, like the prodigal son, to weep upon his father's neck, and dry up his mother's tears, and start a new song among the angels in heaven over one more sinner that repenteth. The steamer lingers, giving me time to say, I have just had a meeting at the Hospital of thrilling interest ; some four or five sailors deeply anxious. I told them of what God was doing in New York, of the prayer-meetings held there, of the many sailors hopefully converted to God, and how the glori- ous work was spreading all over our land ; and that some of the most hardened and desperate characters in the land had become subjects of divine grace, had " turned from darkness to light, and from the power of sin and Satan unto God." When I spoke of " Awful Gardner," the pugilist, of his con- version, of his confession in a large meeting, telling what God had done for his soul, what joy he felt, and of his determina- tion to serve his new Lord and Master as faithfully as he had served Satan, they wept like children, and young Perry said, " Why, I knew Gardner very well" I then told them of the prayer-meetings held all over the city, and every day in the week, and that Burton's Theatre was rented for that purpose, 480 TREASURED MOMENTS. and filled with anxious praying people. Said Perry again, " I have been in that theatre," and then sighed out an expres- sion of earnest hope " that in six weeks he should be able to return home." My own heart was deeply moved, and I never spoke with more ease and apparently with more effect. One poor fellow, who was convalescent, followed me out of the ward, begged me to pray for him, saying, " I have a good pious mother in Philadelphia, and I ran away too, and I want to get back home. I am determined to be a Christian, and return and be a blessing to my mother ; do pray for me." I need not say I promised to do it. But they are getting up steam I dare not delay longer. The Lord carry on this glorious work, is the prayer of Yours, in the bonds of the Gospel. 4-81 MOUNT AUBURN ; OE THE GEAVES OF THE THEEE SISTEES. Boston, Oct. 8th, 1849. IT has seldom fallen to our lot to witness and record a more afflictive dispensation of Divine Providence than that which we are about briefly to narrate. Mary, Isabella, and Josephine Proctor, daughters of Deacon J. C. Proctor, of Boston, so extensively known hi the benevolent world, have, within less than two weeks, been stricken down by the hand of death, and their mortal remains have been borne to their final resting-place, in the beautiful cemetery of Mount Auburn. It seems but yesterday since they were with us in all the bloom and loveliness of youth. They were seated at our table ; their sweet voices mingled in the family devotions ; they went with us to the house of God ; were seen in the sanctuary, the social circle, the prayer-meeting, the Sabbath-school. But, alas ! their seats at the table are deserted ; their voices are no longer heard in the morning and evening worship ; their places in the sanctuary are vacated. The class in the Sabbath- school now waits for its teacher ; but Mary does not come. A teacher calls for the two that are missing in her class, but Isabella and Josephine heed not the summons. No, they are gone ! all gone ! " Mary is not ; Josephine is not ; and the Lord hath taken Isabella also." Such are the lamentations of this almost crushed and heart-broken family. Need we ask the patience of the reader while we briefly sketch a miniature, or rapidly glance at a few of the most 2s 482 TREASURED MOMENTS. ' touching incidents in the lives and death of these three loving and beloved sisters ? . The very name of their revered father will, we are sure, touch a tender chord in the hearts of thou- sands of Christians and Christian missionaries throughout the great West, and even in foreign lands, many of whom have been cheered by the prayers, and fed by the alms, of this once- joyous but now weeping family. Mary was the eldest daughter, and seemed the very life and soul of the domestic circle. Naturally of an active, sprightly mind, with a cheerful, buoyant spirit, her influence was at once commanding and salutary. Her religious education com- menced at the first day-dawn of intellectual development; and, like Timothy, she knew the Holy Scriptures from a child. She thus grew up with a relish and taste for religious society, and seemed to know, even in childhood, as well how to enter- tain a company of Christians or Christian ministers as the most experienced in the Church ; though she did not, till some three years since, make an open and public profession of her faith in Christ. From that hour her piety assumed a decided, active character, and her path seemed that of the just, shining brighter and brighter. She possessed, naturally, a kind, bene- volent heart, full of sympathy for the poor and suffering, and always ready to afford relief. But now her faith, her prayers, her efforts to administer consolation to the soul, gave a new and additional lustre to her acts of benevolence ; she became em- phatically a working, active Christian, never so happy as when her heart and her hands were fully employed in works of charity and mercy designed to bless others. Her efforts to make others happy knew no bounds nor limits. Whether in the family, the social circle, the promiscuous assembly, at home or abroad, among acquaintances or strangers, her mind seemed ever on the alert to find out some object on which to bestow a favour, alleviate a pain, or cheer and animate some desponding heart. Even on her dying bed, when writhing with pain, and but a few hours before her death, she beckoned her weeping father to her side, to inquire into the condition of a poor widow MISCELLANY. 483 that had excited her sympathy, and then commended her to his watchful care. She may truly be said to lay down her life for the good of others. Her active mind, her warm sympathies, her ardent feelings, and incessant toil were too much for her delicate constitution. Added to all this, there were circumstances within the do- mestic circle that drew largely upon her sympathies, and con- tributed not a little to impair the physical energies of one whose filial affection and devotion to her parents were as remarkable as they were praiseworthy. Let it not be thought that we intrude ourselves too far into the privacy and sacred- ness of domestic life, if we allude to some of these circum- stances, as illustrating more fully the character of this eminently devoted and self-sacrificing child. First of all, then : It is well known that her father's house has ever been an open house, in the truest and broadest sense of that term : often denominated the Christian or Ministerial Hotel, where all who love Christ and his cause are made welcome. This circumstance, together with a large family, and the feebleness of her mother's health, imposed upon Mary responsibilities, cares, and toils of no ordinary weight. But more exhausting than all, were the responsibilities she assumed at the birth of those dearly beloved sisters that now sleep by her side. At the early age of 18, when her affections and feelings were ardent and ready to cling tenaciously to every lovable object, she was, in the short space of three years, surprised and overjoyed at the presentation of two lovely, infantile sisters, which, in the extreme delicacy of her mother's health, were committed to her watchful care and training. She shrank not from the duty, but at once became, in the language of another, the sister-mother. In the nursings, the watchings, the cares, and anxieties of such a charge, Mary's warm heart found ample scope for the development of all its powers, its sympathies, and its most ardent affections. Her life and soul became identified with, and wrapped up in, these little immortals. Her heart 2 H2 48 4< TREASURED MOMENTS. yearned over them with maternal solicitude ; she slept with them, dressed and undressed them, fed them, taught them to walk, to speak, to read, write, and sing ; to use the needle, to kneel and lisp the Lord's-prayer. She led them to the house of God, to the Sabbath-school ; and wherever they went, Mary's presence was essential to their hap- piness. If they smiled, she had a smile for them ; if they wept, her tears flowed. Their hearts seemed blended into one, and ever beat in unison. But a few weeks before their death, Mary had occasion to be absent a while for a little rest and relaxation ; and these little ones went pining and moaning through the house, like doves that had lost their mate. It was the privilege of the writer to be much in this Christian family during the past summer, and to witness the devotion of these three sisters to each other, and the indissolu- ble bonds that bound them together. Never can he forget the evening of Mary's return, when those innocent little faces brightened into such ecstatic joy, and when all were assembled for family worship, how anxious to get their little chairs close by Mary's ; and when singing commenced, the very angels might have been in raptures to have listened to the sweet strains that poured forth from their infant lips, their voices rising to higher and higher strains, as if they could not sing loud enough and sweet enough to express all the gratitude they felt to God for Mary's safe return. Little did the writer think that he was listening for the last time to voices that were so soon to join the choir above, or gazing upon faces that were soon to be changed into the likeness of their Saviour. Yet so it was. We parted the next morning, all in usual health, but never all to meet again in this world. The de- stroying angel was at the door, with the behest of Heaven in his hand, though we knew it not. Isabella was taken down first with, dysentery. Mary, of course, became her nurse. Night and day, hour by hour, did she watch over her with a mother's eye, and the yearnings of more than a sister's heart. It was more than she could bear. MISCELLANY. 485 Her anxieties of mind, her continual watchings, her incessant toil, brought on disease. She grappled with it for a time, but soon sank upon her bed, from which she was never to rise. She had but little to do, in getting ready, but to gather up the skirts of her robe, and step calmly down into the swellings of Jordan. " Oh," said she to her sister, " how sweet it will be to die ! Jesus is mine, and I am his/' And bidding her beloved parents and the family an affectionate farewell, she fell asleep without knowing that those dear little ones, that had followed her so closely in life, were holding on upon her mantle, seeming to say, " Where thou art, we will be ; where thou goest, we will go ; thy home shall be our home, thy God our God :" yet so it was. In just one week from Mary's death (Sept. 22), little Josephine, nine years old, was observed to be gliding gently down the declivity toward the cold river, through which her " sister-mother" had just passed ; and, true to the impulses of nature, accustomed as she was to look to her sister in extremi- ties, as she felt the cold waves gathering around her, and as if permitted to catch a glimpse of her beloved Mary on the opposite shore, she was heard to whisper in low but distinct accents, " Sister, sister, sister ! " and all was silent. Her spirit fled, fled to the embrace of her sister Mary and to Mary's Saviour. Five days more, and little Isabella, twelve years old, closed her eyes in death, and her happy spirit took its flight to join her sisters, that were so necessary to her happiness here on earth. Frequently would these little lambs, " Bell and Jose," as they were called, ask their father or mother, or some Christian friend, to kneel down and pray, or read some portion of Scripture, or repeat a hymn. The following was one of their favourite verses, which they used to repeat and sing when in health : " There is a land above, All beautiful and bright, And those who lore and seek the Lord Bise to that world of light." 486 TREASURED MOMENTS. They were both children of great precocity of mind, wise and good beyond their years, knowing the Scriptures, and seeming to know the Saviour from very childhood ; and often was it remarked by friends, " Such children are not long for this world." Whether the parents ever had such presenti- ments, the writer does not know ; but certain it is, others had them. " They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death were not divided." " Thy shaft flew thrice, And thrice our peace was slain." Let all who have ever known this family, and partaken of their hospitality, intercede with them at the throne of mercy, while they are passing though this fiery furnace, that the living may lay it to heart, and be prepared to meet their God. Let the children of Boston, and all who visit Mount Auburn, inquire for the graves of the three sisters, and bedew them with their tears ; weeping not for the dead, but the living ; and praying that, when they die, they may die the death of the righteous, and that their last days may be as peaceful and happy as were the last days of Mary, Josephine, and Isabella. Cnltrrrn's The few following pages are allowed to have a place in this book, simply to gratify my younger children. The adult reader, therefore, will please consider the book as ending with the preceding page. In the early part of my ministry, I was very much in the habit of writing for children's papers ; and fond of addressing them in Sabbath-schools and at anniversary meetings. Hence, these little fragments are but the natural productions of a congenial clime. 489 CRUELTY TO SERVANTS. A DIALOGUE BETWEEN A FATHER AND SON. Father. Have you called this morning, Frederick, to see Mr. Jones? Son. Yes, father, and the doctor says he cannot live. F. Is the doctor doing anything for him ? S. He is doing all he can ; but he finds it impossible to keep anything down ; his stomach ejects everything he takes into it. F. What does the doctor call his complaint ? S. Dyspepsy, and he told Mr. Jones that nobody but him- self was to blame. F. Poor man ! I warned him of this, years ago ; and pointed out the fatal consequences of his course ; but he heeded not my warning. S. But, father, I think they are rather hard upon Mr. Jones ; how can he be to blame for his sickness ? If he refused to take the medicine, it would alter the case ; but when his stomach will not retain it, I do not see how blame can be attached to him. F. I will ask you a question, my son. How can we blame a man for maiming and murdering his servants ? S. That surely is a very clear case, but I do not see its application. Mr. Jones has always been considered a very amiable man, and I never heard of his servants complaining of unkind treatment either in words or deeds. F. It has not been in words, to be sure, but in deeds, that he has shown such brutal outrages to his servants. 490 TREASURED MOMENTS. S. That surprises me very much. I never heard before that he ever struck a servant. F. No, probably not ; it has not been by blows that Mr. Jones has manifested his cruelty, but by overworking them laying heavy burdens upon them, and literally crushing them to death. S. I am more surprised than ever. Who will ever know, after this, what to think or believe of any man ? But, ad- mitting this to be true, I am still at a loss to know how to make the application. What connection can there be between Mr. Jones's dyspepsy, and that of overworking and killing his servants ? Can they possibly be linked together in the relation of cause and effect? Or, in other words, can the overworking of servants give a man the dyspepsy ? F. It is very evident, my son, that we are talking in the dark, and shall obtain no light till we so define our terms, as to attach to them the same ideas. And let this be a lesson through life : never talk at random ; in all discussions, make your antagonist define his terms ; understand definitely and clearly the meaning he attaches to all those leading words, on which hinges the whole weight of his argument. This is a case in point. We are evidently attaching different ideas to the word servant. That one word explained, and we shall be able to proceed lucidly with our discussion. S. I was not aware that Mr. Jones employed more than one kind of servants, and am therefore at a loss to see how any other application can be made of the word, than that of its common and obvious signification. F. Look at Emma's fingers as they run along the keys of the piano, obeying her will, and discoursing sweet music are they not good servants ? And our ears, that catch up those sweet sounds, and convey them to our hearts, filling us with joy and gladness, are they not good servants ? S. Certainly, they are valuable servants if servants they can be called. F. Our eyes also, what objects of delight they are continu- CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT. 491 ally conveying to our minds always ready to serve us ! Now, suppose Emma were to compel those fingers to lift that piano, and carry it into another room ; or suppose, instead of the tongs, she should thrust them into the fire, and make them convey burning coals from one room to another ; would you not think that very cruel treatment to those faithful servants, which never disobeyed her, in performing all their appro- priate duties ? And suppose, too, that she should compel her eyes to look steadily upon the sun, till the power of sight had become extinct ; would you not say, " Emma is a cruel mis- tress to her servants" ? 8. Yes, father, I can see all that ; but I am just as far from seeing its application to. the case of Mr. Jones, as when my mind was running upon another class of servants. To burn one's fingers, or to lose his eyes, does not necessarily give a man the dyspepsy ; and, to my certain knowledge, Mr. Jones has done neither. F. But there are visible and invisible servants, and some that possess both these qualities. For example, our teeth are sometimes seen and sometimes unseen, and how valuable for the purposes for which God made them ! Would you not think it cruel to set them to chewing marbles, or cracking walnuts, breaking them all to pieces ? S. But Mr. Jones has not been guilty of that ; for I re- member, more than a year ago, noticing his beautiful teeth, and how he seemed to enjoy the dinner at Uncle Williams ; how heartily he did eat, of every variety ; little did I think then, he would die of the dyspepsy. F. And did it not occur to your mind, at that great dinner, that Mr. Jones was laying a heavy burden upon some of his servants ? 8. I never thought about it then ; only that his fingers, which you call servants, I noticed were kept hard at work, with knife and fork. F. Can you think of no other servants that must have suffered from that great dinner ? 492 TREASURED MOMENTS. S. No father, unless it were the eyes ; the dining-hall was brilliantly lighted with gas, and some of those servants might have suffered. F. No, my son, those are not the servants to which I wish now particularly to call your attention. Eyes and fingers are valuable in their places ; but there is a class of invisible servants, which God, in infinite mercy, has placed at every man's disposal, and upon the proper treatment of which his health and life more especially depend, than upon all others put together. We may lose our eyes, and still live ; our fingers and teeth may fail us, and a substitute be found ; but nothing has ever yet been discovered, to take the place of those hidden ones to which I now allude ; and yet, strange to say, they are the most abused servants, more cruelly treated, and less cared for, than any other part of God's creation. These servants are known by the name of DIGESTIVE POWERS, whose appropriate duties are to keep vigilant watch over every particle of food taken into the stomach, dissect and analyse it, and convert it into a kind of im- palpable pulp, or white fluid, called chyle, then distribute it into every part of the system, giving new life and vigour to the bones, muscle, and blood, yea, to the whole man. Whether we are awake or asleep, abuse them or treat them kindly, they toil incessantly for our good, yea, for our life. They never betray their trust, or quit their post, till beaten down, or killed outright, by our savage cruelty. Though the most delicate, sensitive little creatures imaginable, that should ever excite our tenderest sympathy and compassion, yet we too often treat them as though they were mere beasts of burden, You know, my son, that a prudent, discreet master will en- deavour so to distribute his work among his servants, that all shall bear their part, and the strong be made to help the weak. But do you not recollect at your Uncle William's great dinner, to which you have alluded, how Mr. Jones went into it, or rather, how the dinner went into him ? And what par- tiality he showed to those white-liveried servants in his mouth, CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT. 493 giving them little else to do, than simply to guard the hatch- way, and keep the door open and the passage clear between the plate and his stomach ? What a vast amount of labour those strong lazy teeth might have saved those little delicate chemists below, had they performed faithfully their propor- tion of the work ! And if we consider the quantity and variety of food which Mr. Jones pitched into his reservoir that evening, unmasticated, all to be dissected, analyzed, ground, and chemically prepared for use, in twelve consecutive hours, we shall have some idea of the cruel burdens imposed upon those poor servants. He began, I think, with turtle soup, hot as fire and pepper could make it ; which, to those delicate little creatures, must have been like a shower of liquid fire. One could almost see them scampering and running in all directions, to hide them- selves ; screaming in agony over their burnt fingers and scalded heads. But this fright had hardly subsided, and the maimed and dying cared for, just ready to go to work, than here comes tumbling down upon them a perfect deluge of fish and oysters, with melted butter, caper sauce, mustard, pickles, and condiments of every description ; and now another scampering ensues ; some are buried alive, others up to their chin, as if in a quagmire, struggling for life ; all are in con- sternation, wondering what is to come next ! Their suspense is of short duration, for just here commences a general onslaught along the whole line. The little fellows now rally their entire force, setting them in battle array against pork and Brussel sprouts, beef and potatoes, mutton chops and mushrooms, roast turkey and celery, wild game and tomatto sauce ; indeed, it was another Sebastopol, on a smaller scale. Then follow the reserved corps, whole regiments of confectionary, in every conceivable dress, and with every variety of concealed weapons ; pies and plum-puddings, tarts and sweetmeats, jumbles and custards, cheese and crackers, with fruits from all climes ; oranges and pine-apples, figs and raisons, walnuts and almonds, pippins, pears, nectarines, melons, grapes, and all the et ceteras, 494 TKEASURED MOMENTS. backed up with a cup of hot " cafe noir " sweetened with French brandy. And now, my son, would you think it pos- sible for these little delicate servants to hold out long against such unequal forces ? Must not the citadel be taken ? Mar- vellous as it may seem, though half their number fallen, and the other half maimed, mutilated, or dying of ex- haustion, they will not surrender ; and no sooner has the storming partially ceased, than they enter with might and main upon the Herculian task of levelling this mountain. Like all chemists, they are precise, exact, systematic, and work by immutable laws. First, forming little canals, filling them with white juices, or fluids, which, after floating off the coarse rubbish, became gradually purified and fit for use ; and now, just as they are uniting all their forces to distribute these fluids through the system, what does Mr. Jones do, but add insult to injury, by inserting pumps, in the shape of long pipes, cigars, and quids of tobacco, and keeping these pumps going, till all these little canals are pumped dry. What vexa- tion and confusion now follow ! their labour all lost, the poor servants sink down in utter despair. It was as though a merchant in New York should contract with a flour merchant in Buffalo to deliver so many thousand barrels of flour in a given time, and under a heavy penalty in case of failure, and just as the canal boats were all freighted with the flour, and started on their course, the New York merchant inserts a mammoth pump at Lockport, pumps the canal dry, leaving the boats fast in the mud. What would be the general sense of the community respecting such knavery as that ? Could any jury of twelve men be found, to award him the forfeiture of failure? The whole country would resound in one united voice of condemnation. True, when Mr. Jones discovered his danger, and how de- pendent he was upon these servants for life and health, he made to them many concessions, many humble apologies, tried hard to bribe them and coax them back into his service, by giving them cordials, soda water, sweet cream, cogniac, and CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT. 493 the like, but all to no purpose; most of them had died, and most of those that remained alive were more or less disabled ; and having been so often baffled in their efforts to serve their master, and as often treated with indignity and contempt, and all their appeals to his sympathy and the kinder feelings of his nature having proved unavailing, they came to a unani- mous determination never to return to his service, and that henceforth, whatever might be the consequences, Mr. Jones should have full permission to manage for himself, and in the way that should best suit him, the contents of his own stomach. Being informed of this decision, Mr. Jones sought counsel of the doctor, the results of which are as you found them. His stomach retains nothing because, like a vacated dwelling, there are no servants to look after the provisions. Thus everything spoils, curdles, turns sour, and is thrown out. You now perceive, my son, why the doctor pronounces Mr. Jones's case hopeless, that he must die, and that his death is chargeable to no one but himself. Having overworked, abused, and murdered many of his most faithful servants, and insulted and driven away the balance, his death is inevitable. And is it not something more than moral suicide, thus to treat so cruelly those on whose toil and labour our life de- pends ? From this our conversation upon Mr. Jones's case, I wish to impress one or two important lessons upon your youthful mind, lessons I wish you never to lose sight of. Wherever you may live, into whatever company you may be thrown, bear in mind the following three things ; yea, adopt them as the rules of your daily life : 1. Never eat in haste ; take time to masticate well your food ; better not eat at all, than to eat in a hurry. Make those hardy servants in your mouth do their part of the service, and never tax too severely those delicate little chemists, upon whose nice and critical labour your life and health depend ; and above all, never insult or drive them to madness and de- 496 TREASURED MOMENTS. spair, by wantonly destroying their work ; never pump their canals dry, after having prepared them with so much labour, for your especial benefit. 2. Always be content with simple, plain, wholesome food. Never encourage or pamper a fastidious appetite. It is a mark of a weak mind ; and not only that, but it leads to habits of cruelty towards those servants, which have deserted poor Mr. Jones, and left him to die. Let the promotion of health, not the gratification of your appetite, be the governing prin- ciple of your conduct. 3. So far as it is possible, be uniform in taking your meals, Servants are always the best, who are kept steadily at work, but never overworked. If you were to take no exercise for years, you would become too weak to perform much labour : so with your servants ; if you are careless and go without food for twenty-four hours, then pitch into your stomach as much as you can carry, your servants, weak from inaction, and un- equal to their task, become exhausted and die. Remember, " that a wise son maketh a glad father." 497 AN ABSENT FATHER'S DREAM. HAVING been long from home on an agency for the Foreign Evangelical Society, among the many pleasing letters received, there was one which spoke of the noble conduct of our dear Freddy in protecting his dear sisters on their way to school, which so touched my heart, that pleasant dreams and visions accompanied me through the night ; and on rising in the morning, I threw them into rhyme, just to please the children. The children of Boston got hold of it, and it was first published in their paper called the " Well- Spring." Let no one mistake it for poetry, or imagine for a moment that it was ever intended for such : I dreamed I saw a little hoy, Some six or eight years old ; He was Ins father's constant joy ; The truth he always told. And in my dream I saw him rise With every morning sun, Prepared to struggle for a prize, And thus my muse began : " What noble little fellow 's he, That's off to school so bright ; That learned his lesson with such glee, By dawn of morning light ? What modest mien and gentle look ; How manly is his walk ; He thinks of nothing but his book, Nor cares how others talk. 2 I 498 TREASURED MOMENTS. See how he loves his little sis, That clings so near his side ; He takes her little hand in his, That he her steps may guide. A younger still now grasps his hand, She's skipping like a bird ; And now they pat it through the sand, Each walking side by side. How full of life, how full of glee, When off to school they go ; I wonder what their names can be ! Does anybody know ? Stop, let me look oh, I can tell ; 'Tia Julia, Em., and Fred., Who say their little prayers so well, Just as they're going to bed. Methinks I almost see them kneel, And almost hear them pray ; I seem to know just how they feel, And almost what they say. But soon one leaps into my lap, Two others on my chair ; "With one of their hands my cheeks they pat, The other 's in my hair. Their arms are now around my neck, I feel their warm embrace ; I struggle hard their hold to break, They laugh right in my face. An avalanche of kisses now Is poured upon my cheek ; Their dimpled hands so o'er my mouth, That I can hardly speak. Now mimic frowns and winning smiles Alternate on their lips, "While laughing eyes doth all the while My very soul bewitch. CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT. 499 And now they hop, and skip, and play, So full of childish mirth, That something whispering seems to say, Sure this cannot be earth. 'Mid all this sport and mirthful joke, How short the time did seem ! And shorter still when I awoke, And found 'twas all a dream. And now " Good night, good night, papa," Says Julia, Em., and Fred., As Mary opes the door ajar, To lead them up to bed. Good night, good night, my darling babes ; May angels guard your sleep, Till morning light disperse the shades, Till we in heaven shall meet. A CHILD'S PLEA TO ITS AUNT. ON returning home after a long absence, and taking one of our dear little daughters on my lap, while writing a letter to her aunt, for whom she was named, and asking her what she wished to say to her aunt, she said so many droll things, that I ran it off in the following rhymes, to please the child ; and to please the same child, it is allowed a place here : Tell me, dear aunt, can it be true ? My father says I'm named for you ; Why is it then you do not come, And share with me my happy home ? Come, oome, and with me share a part, In my dear mother's tender heart ; She'll love you much for my name's sake, And of her love we'll both partake. If you will come, you then shall see How everybody plays with me ; 2 I 2 500 TKEASURED MOMENTS. And how dear father toss's me up ; And how I hold my little cup. You'll see my height, and see my size, My ruddy cheeks and laughing eyes, My silken hair and flowing tresses, My tiny shoes and snow-white dresses. You'll see my brothers, sisters too, Whose sparkling eyes will pierce you through, See what dear children all we are, How still we kneel at family prayer. You'll hear us sing of all our joys, "What happy girls and happy boys ! Oh, how we laugh, and jump, and play, And sometimes cry (I'm 'shamed to say). Do come ; and with my little hands, I'll comb your hair, and tie your bands, "Will part your ringlets, fix your curls, "Will count your beads, play with your pearls, Sit on your lap, and pat your cheek, Be still and listen when you speak. Thus, my " sweet home" I'll share with you, I'll love you much, and kiss you too. CONUNDRUM. ON our last voyage to America in 1843, onboard the packet Ville de Lion, a weekly paper was started ; and on the 10th November, being called upon for a conundrum, gave the following : Just eighteen score years ago to-day, "Was born a little giant, so to say, Who, ere he yielded up his breath, Whipped his poor mother half to death. QUERY. Who was this giant, and who the mother? CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT. 501 THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND TRAGICAL DEATH OF JULIA'S CAT. IN the following rhymes, the only thing worthy of note is, that the portraiture of this famous cat is not overdrawn, but everything said of her " accomplishments" is literally and perfectly true. After a week's painful suspense, in order to divert the child's mind, and to soothe her feelings, I rose early one morning, went into my study, perpetrated the following, which, in going down to breakfast, I laid upon her plate ; it acted pleasantly and favourably upon her young heart, and produced its desired effect. Now Julia had a pussy cat, A famous cat was she ; And though she ne'er was very fat, Was slick as slick could be. Her colour was of amber grey, Her full-orb'd eyes the same, And when with Jule she chose to play, "Was sure to win the game. She was a sly coquettish dame And fond of admiration ; And though discarding crinoline, "Was never out of fashion. And like all coquettes of her sex, Before the glass she'd stand, And prim her face, and smooth her fur, And wash her little hands. A taste for music too she had, As well the servant knew ; For once piano notes she heard, t And to the parlour flew. v 502 TREASURED MOMENTS. But how amazed, when there she sees (Instead of Julia's finger), Old puss was thumping on the keys, As if the de'il was in her. She was withal an epicure, And fond of dainties rare ; And when at home, was always sure, Of Julia's part to share. And when she glanced her eyes along, O'er nuts, and milk, and cheese, Around Julia's neck she'd throw her arms, As if to say " Now please I" But alas ! these rare accomplishments Soon made old puss so vain, That all the good advice Jule gave Was treated with disdain. Too confident in her own powers, With mind and will intent, Puss sallies forth o'er walls and towers, As if on ruin bent. And like another ancient knight, In quest of mortal fame, The pride that bore her in her flight Soon brought her down to shame. For by one sudden, fatal bound, The garden walls she scaled ; And ere her feet did touch the ground, Poor Pussy's doom was sealed. For there, alas ! .the gardener's trap, With wide-extended jaws, Caught the ambitious, truant cat, And held her by the paws. And now what shrieks do pierce the ears Of all the neighbours round, Each wondering what the matter is, And whence that dreadful sound. CHILDREN S DEPARTMENT. oQ3 And now, ye proud, ambitious cats, Come listen to my story, And learn how easy old steel traps Can rob you of your glory. Eemember, too, that best of cats Can reach no higher fame Than to be skilled in catching rats, And o'er the mice to reign. THE MOEAL. Let children learn obedience, and be in subjection to their superiors; and never aspire to a position for which God never fitted them. From her sympathising and affectionate FATHER. " I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine off- spring." Isaiah xliv. 3. " I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh." Acts ii. 17. " And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." Acts ii. 21. 507 THE GREAT REVIVAL IN IRELAND IN 1859. WHILE in London, superintending the publication of this work, a number of circumstances combined to remove ob- stacles from my. path, and brighten the prospect of an immediate visit to Ireland, where I could behold for myself something of that marvellous work of God, which had filled all Christendom with wonder, and all heaven with joy. Nor were my friends less anxious than myself to have my heart cheered and refreshed by such a visit ; especially as a kind Providence had sent a brother beloved from Ireland to supply the pulpit at Havre during my absence ; and whose health, like my own, needed a change of air and scene. Looking at these and other providences pointing in the same direction, I cheerfully exchanged the smoke and fog of London, for the purer atmosphere of Belfast, Ballymena, Coleraine, Londonderry, and other places in the North, where the riches of God's grace and glory hath so abounded, that the fields, and groves, and little huts, and cabins, are vocal with the songs and praises of new-born souls. And now, after the most impartial survey, and as thorough investigation as I have been able to make, I am frank to acknowledge, that of all the revivals which it has been my privilege to witness, and in many of which I have borne some humble part in our American Zion, I have never yet seen any- thing just like that which I have witnessed in Ireland, have never been brought in contact with such scenes, such marvel- lous specimens of regenerated, renovated man, whose simple 508 TREASURED MOMENTS. story of a crushed heart, healed and made pure by Christ's precious blood, brought God so sensibly and, I may say, almost visibly before me ; such startling incidents, and so manifestly the work of God, that the bold blasphemer has had his mouth suddenly stopped, and was constrained to acknowledge, " Verily, God is in this place." It was my privilege to attend many meetings for prayer, and in some I consented to take a part. I also preached in some of their largest churches. But my chief business was to seek out the young converts, visit them at their own dwellings, and hear from their own lips what God had done for their souls, and kneel with ihem in prayer sometimes on their dirt-floors. It was by such a course that I was the better able to satisfy myself " that this was none other than the work of God, and marvellous in our eyes." Not to speak of other places, Coleraine furnished me with facts and incidents of peculiar interest. I attended prayer- meetings in their famous Town-hall, so memorable in the history of this revival. It was a large new building, just completed as the revival broke out. Much discussion had already taken place, however, among the worldly of the town, as to the most appropriate mode of consecration. A grand ball had been suggested, and seemed likely to carry the day ; but before the thing was settled, God decided the ques- tion for himself. On the night of the 9th June, 1859, the Spirit of the Lord descended, and wrought so mightily upon the hearts and consciences of sinners in that town, and so many were smitten down in the streets and on the public square, " falling," as Professor Gibson remarked to me, " like men in battle slain/' that they were obliged to open this very hall as a kind of "spiritual hospital," and thus con- secrate it by agonising prayer and supplication to God for these convicted and distressed souls ; and from that day to this, it has been daily thronged with God's praying children mingling their songs of praise and thanksgiving with many new-born souls ; while the idea of a " ball" has APPENDIX. 509 never since entered the mind, except to show, by contrast, " Coleraine as she was, and as she is." At the end of this spacious hall sits a table, on which lies a splendid copy of the Holy Bible, used every day in con- ducting the prayer-meetings ; on the blank leaf of which I read the following inscription, written in a clear and most beautiful hand, and which contains in itself a memoir that thrills the heart : "A UNION BIBLE. " This copy of the Holy Scriptures, purchased by the contribu- tions of Christiana of all Evangelical denominations in Coleraine, who have been attending a union prayer- meeting held in the Town-hall, is intended to be " 1st. A memoral of the most gracious and wide-spread religious awakening, which commenced upon the evening of the 7th of June, 1859, at an open-air meeting for prayer and preaching of tlie Gospel, held on the Fair Hill of Coleraine, where many, ' with strong crying and tears,' were led to exclaim, ' What must I do to be saved ?' and where many more, throughout the night, and during the period which has since elapsed, were led by the Spirit of God to embrace an offered Saviour, and to find peace and joy in believing. It is meant to be " 2nd. A memorial of the first opening of the new Town-hall at Coleraine, where, on the night of the 9th of June, 1859, nearly one hundred persons, agonised in mind through conviction of sin, and entirely prostrate in body, were borne into that building to obtain shelter during the night, and to receive consolations from the instructions and prayers of Christian ministers and Christian people. Again this copy of God's Word is intended to be " 3rd. A memorial, to other people and to other times, of the blessed spirit of union and brotherly love, which has been one fruit of God's wondrous work in Coleraine, and which has found its expression and its witness in the crowded union prayer- meeting which assembles daily in the Town-hall, from half-past nine until ten o'clock. 510 TEEASURED MOMENTS. " Filled with adoring gratitude to Almighty God, for the gift of his Holy Spirit, by whom many hundreds of souls have been brought to the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, we, the ministers of the Gospel in Coleraine, presidents of the union prayer-meeting, together with the Committee of Management, do subscribe our names to this inscription ; expressing our desire and determination that this copy of the Holy Scriptures shall be committed to the custody and safe keeping of the Chairman of the Town Commissioners, or other chief civic authority for the time being, as a token of our gratitude to God for the times of refreshing with which he has been pleased to visit Coleraine, and a witness to other days of ' how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.' " Town-hall, Coleraine, October 6, 1859." [Here follow the names.'] At the close of one of these prayer-meetings, I was intro- duced to that remarkable trophy of divine grace, Mr. Halt- ridge, whose conversion and subsequent life have excited so much interest throughout the land. Spending an hour with him at the house of a friend, with tearful eyes, and a becoming modesty, he gave me the follow- ing brief sketch of his life : " For the last fifteen years," said he, " I was able to drink at the rate of twenty glasses of whisky per day ; not being able to sleep without it, I had it placed every night at my bedside. During these years, I have kept my wife and two children in a state of indescribable wretchedness, smashing up the furniture, burning my wife's clothes twenty pounds worth at a time ; turning her out of the house at midnight, barefoot, and in her night-clothes. Once I loaded my gun, to shoot my own son ; at another time, I took a car, went three miles from town, to throw myself into the sea, and was found upon a rock, with the billows dashing at my feet. I despised the holy Sabbath, and spent it in drunkenness and revelling. I did not believe there was a Christian in Coleraine, and looked upon all professors as hypocrites, and the revival as a great APPENDIX. 511 humbug ; and when my own children were smitten down, and brought home in a helpless state, I was raving mad, cursed God and defied him." After these and many other like specimens of his past life, I said to Mr. Haltridge, " Can I see your wife and children ? " "Yes/' said he, "if you will go with me now?" "111' go," was my reply. Arm in arm, we started for his once-misera- ble but now " sweet home." On the way, he suddenly paused and said, " I have not told you half. I have been a terror to every decent man and woman in this town, fearing even to pass my shop. What a miracle of grace I am ! Can you be- lieve me, when I tell you / am a murderer? Yes, in that very place, pointing with his finger, I took the life of a fellow-creature, was immured six months, in a prison, and stood a trial for my life." But to his now happy home we went, held sweet converse with his family, all of whom are now branches of the same vine, polished stones in the same temple, bound to the same kingdom. On leaving his house, he accompanied me to my hotel, pouring out his soul, at every step, in expressions of love and adoring gratitude to God for what he has done for his soul and for his family. The next morning, I attended another prayer-meeting in that same hall, and for the first time heard Mr. Haltridge pray ; and as I saw him. meekly bow his knees, and heard him humbly pour out his soul in confession, thanksgiving, praise, and supplication to his adorable God and Saviour, I inwardly exclaimed, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" Oh, what hath God wrought, to change that blasphemer and murderer into an humble praying man ! At this prayer-meeting was a wealthy Scotch gentleman from the port of Glasgow Provost Birkmyre, having under him, in his different departments of labour, nearly fifteen hundred souls. He spoke of the revival in Scotland, and of what the Lord was doing among his own operatives, expressing his gratitude to God, and to the people of Coleraine, for having sent to them one of their own converts, 512 TREASURED MOMENTS. whose simple story of what God had done for his own soul, and his humble, fervent prayers, had been so remarkably owned and blessed of God among the people. This young convert to whom he referred was none other than Mr. Haltridge himself; he had just returned from a mis- sionary tour in Scotland, where the Lord had made him an instrument of great good. Who, that has been an eye-witness of such a stupendous miracle of grace, can any longer be faithless and unbelieving ? Who can doubt, that Christ is able to save to the uttermost ? As before stated, my chief business was with young con- verts ; and while holding my pen to give further specimens, there fell into my hands a little book, written by a distin- guished minister of the gospel, Rev. William Jeffery, of Tor- rington, Devon, whose brief and graphic sketches are so much like an echo of what I saw and heard, and .what I should write, and as I am sorely pressed for time, I substitute the following well-authenticated facts, as being similar, in all their essentials, to cases that fell under my own eye. I adopt this course the more willingly, inasmuch as our motive and object are the same " to furnish the best evidence of the genuine character of what is called THE IRISH REVIVAL." He introduces the subject as follows : " After spending many weeks in journeying through Ireland, carrying out everywhere a diligent process of examination into the reported regeneration of the people, I have no hesitation in affirming that a man must he dishonest to the abundance of moral and religious evidence the province of Ulster affords, if he does not confess that the reformation of the people has been effected on a stupendous and unparalleled scale, and that Christians by thousands have suddenly inherited knowledge, life, and power, eclipsing, perhaps, the brightest eras of the Christian church. " The simple object of this little hook is to furnish the best evidence of the genuine character of what is called ' The Irish Revival.' For that purpose I have endeavoured to bring you within the heart-breathings of the newly-awakened. You will be able to accompany me from cottage to cottage, and hear from the APPENDIX. 513 converts what they have to say about themselves and their Saviour. " The cases of conversion and Christian character presented for your consideration are few in number ; but many Christian gentle- men, residing in various districts of the North of Ireland, have assured me that they are likenesses, in their principal features, of the hearts and lives of many hundreds of recently converted persons. " The victories of the Christian faith in Ireland have added very much to the common happiness. Love, joy, peace, long- suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, now enrich the lives of the people. ****** " But to the facts. " In a cottage occupied by a Presbyterian family, we met Mary Ann B , a fine, tall, well-formed young woman. There was an indescribable exactness of propriety in the manner she received us, taking a chair by her grandmother, nearly one hundred years of age. Xo pen could pourtray the refined excellency of her looks : although she entered the cottage circle with bare feet, her inimitable ease, and elegance of self-possession, with an exquisite aspect of meekness, combined with deep satisfaction and lofty repose richly pictured on her countenance, conveyed the highest impressions of her moral dignity, and declared that the convert had become associated with a Spirit of an ineffable order. " Many being gathered together, forming a considerable circle, addressing myself to the convert, as she sat by her father's side, I pencilled the following questions and answers : " ' When were you converted ? ' " ' About five weeks ago, sir.' " ' "What were you before conversion ? ' " ' A poor sinner, and a very guilty sinner.' " ' Who gave you such a change ? ' " ' It was God. O yes ! it was God ! ! ' " ' Connected with any particular circumstance ? ' " ' Yes, sir ; through the text, " Behold ! I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice^ and open the door, I will come unto him, and will sup with him, and he with me"' (Eev. iii. 20). " ' And what did the preacher say ? ' 2K 514 TKEASURED MOMENTS. " ' Oh, he said that many believed something about Christ that he was able to save souls, and had done so ; but did they believe in him for the saving of their own souls ? And then the question came to me, " Have you believed in him for the saving of your soul?" I felt the answer, "No! No! you have not!" Then I went out, because I felt as if I must cry. I sat down upon a grave, and four little girls came up to me, and said, " Does anything ail y'?" but I could only scream, " Oh, what shall I do to be saved ? " and then I put my hands together and lifted 'ein up in prayer, and said, " Holy Father ! if this be thy Spirit's work upon me, send it down more powerful, for Jesus Christ's sake." '"A friend heard I was sitting on a grave, and came running, and said, " What is this ? O, Mary Ann, what is this ? " but I wanted strength to say, " The hand of the Lord is upon me." ' " ' What did you understand by the hand of the Lord ? ' " ' Showing me, in the first place, that I was just a guilty sin- ner. But I had confidence and assurance that Christ was able and willing ; and I was willing, too ! (It was him that first loved me.) My friend then helped me up from the grave, and led me, saying, " Let the Lord finish his own work that he has begun." "We went into Mrs. L 's house, and while there more power came upon me, and I felt I had greater and greater love to God and the Son of God, and more and more convinced he was able to save me. I then asked Mr. John N to read at the 16th verse of the 10th chapter of the Hebrews " This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord : I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them." But it was the next verse I had in my mind "Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." ' " ' How came you to fasten on this portion ? ' " ' I think that God put it into my mind at that time for a con- soling evidence. " ' Mr. John N then asked me if he should pray.' " ' Who was this Mr. John N ? ' " ' He was converted about four weeks before. He was very careless, like myself.' " ' What kind of prayer did Mr. N make ? ' " ' I felt it gave me strength and courage.' " ' Do you remember the last sentence of the prayer ? ' APPENDIX. 515 " ' He asked the Lord to give me strength ; for the eyes of the world would be upon me, as they are upon all the converts, and every one that is privileged with this gift.' "'What gift?' " ' This Spirit of God that is now converting us from Satan to God.' " ' "What more did he say ? ' " ' "Well, then, sir, he said in his prayer that I had the worldi the flesh, and the devil to wrestle with. But he implored God's all-sufficiency. Then they asked me if they should sing, and I said, " Sing.'"' They sung the 40th Psalm : " I waited for the Lord my God." " (This song of praise is a chief favourite in the North of Ireland, with such as, having been brought under conviction, have obtained peace.) " ' I felt the power of this singing, and rose up, and reached home well. During the night I slept very little having thoughts on the goodness of God, and about falling back.' "'About falling back?' " ' Yes, sir ; but I thought like this : God is stronger than Satan ! " ' I rose about six o'clock, and thought at once on the verse : " Thy precious time, misspent, redeem, Each present day thy last esteem, Improve thy talent wi^i due care, For the great day thyself prepare." " ' This verse wafted my mind to the chapter about the talents ; and I thought I should not like to be as the unprofitable servant that buried his talent in the earth ; but, if the Lord had given me ever so little, it was my duty to improve it, with God's assist- ance. I've nothing further to say, sir, only from that time, thanks be to God, I've enjoyed true peace and happiness. And vou'll be pleased, sir, to give God all the praise for all he has done for me.' " ' "Would you like to send any message to England ? ' " At the mention of ' England,' tears filled the eyes of all the family, and the convert said, presently, with tender earnestness, ' I'd like them to put their trust in the Saviour the only Saviour of souls and to regard God in all their actions.' 2 K 2 516 TREASURED MOMENTS. "After prayer, the family blessed us heartily, and we parted. ****** " Arriving at a distant cottage, we obtained an interview with Mr. John N , a tall, strong, intelligent young man the person alluded to in the former sketch to whom I said " ' "When were you converted ? ' " ' On the 20th of June.' " ' Under what circumstances ? ' " ' I went to see a cousin of mine that came under conviction of sin the evening before. With tears in her eyes she said to me, " I've found my Saviour ! I've found my Saviour ! Cousin, come to Jesus ! " I had not a word to say not one word to say ! There she was rejoicing ; but I could not look at her, and tried to get away. I left the house, but with bitter tears. The thought struck me, " How shall I appear before the Judge of all the earth when I cannot look at one of his creatures ? " I felt I was in Satan's service. Well, I came home, and was made to cry for mercy. I had to kneel down upon the straw and cry to God for mercy. Then I came into the house, and prayed with the family, and was now compelled to go back and see my cousin whom I had just now rejected. Ah ! it was a meeting a glorious meeting ; it cannot be described ! ' " ' What is your opinion of the gospel ? ' " ' Christ's work, finished, is the principal part of the gospel.' " ' How should a sinner approach God ? ' " ' In an humble state, andfthrough the Mediator, Jesus.' " ' How is a sinner justified ? ' " ' Faith puts our sin where God put it.' " ' What is the best sign of a converted state ? ' " ' We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. " ' I did just talk sometimes to God's people, but I could not love them before I was converted.' "'Have you any thoughts about the Spirit's work on the heart?' " ' In prayer ? Well, it seems to me like this There's a little child on its mother's knee, just beginning to say something, and she puts her ear down to catch up the words from her infant's lips ; and so, if we pray in the spirit, Christ stoops down to take up the very first words we have got to say.' APPENDIX. 517 " ' "Welcome ! welcome ! gentlemen, to our humble cottage,' said a woman, bending low at our approach. " ' I was blessed, 1 said she, ' with a Christian father, and he tried to impress on me the sweet -story of redeeming love.' " ' You call it a sweet story.' " ' Yes, sir ; and well, indeed, I may ! " ' My father would warn me, and tell me that there was no way of acceptance but through the finished work of Christ ; still I was careless ; but, about seven years ago, Mr. Carson said, " Would to God, my dear friends, that I could send this home to your hearts as I can to your ears ; " and I thought on this, and then the Saviour began to be precious, and I felt inclined to obey him. But I just thought for about a year that I could do something to commend me to the favour of God, till I found that, vain and polluted in myself, be could save without any of my decorations.' " This little confession of Esther C 'a faith came rushing out of her heart, claiming a place on my paper before I could address the question to a new-born convert in the same cottage " ' And what is the ground of your hope ? ' " ' Christ.' " ' Through what circumstances did he become your hope ? ' " ' It was through a letter read by Mr. James Graham, giving an account of conversions to God in county Antrim. I didn't sleep much that night for thinking of it.' " ' What kind of thoughts had you ? ' " ' I prayed, sir, for God to give me a change of heart. It was God that put this thought into me ! ' " ' And did you get the change you wanted ? ' " ' Yes, sir, at once. I had the power to pray.' ****** " Mr. Eobert M is known in Tubbermore to have been, until very lately, one of the roughest of men. His alteration of life is the surprise of the neighbourhood. In him humanity seemed to be dried up or poisoned. ' I was more brutish than any man, I had not the understanding of a man.' (Prov. xxx. 2). " I found him in his house willing to confess his deeds : with drooping head and contrite heart, he said, " ' I heard Mr. McN preaching in the street, and while he was in prayer, I felt like a burnin' heat come into my breast, and I thought, " Well, if I do drop down just here, I'll just stop on 518 TREASURED MOMENTS. and let God do His pleasure wi' me." I stopped on through the prayer, and then comin' down the street, I thought I must drop down. I saw two men comin', but felt quite ashamed to ask 'em to help me. At last I got home, but slept nothing that night. I could eat scarcely anything for a week, but on Friday evening, when I came home from work, I said to my wife, " I'll go to the prayer-meetin' wi' ye." My mind wouldn't let me stay from it. Mr. Carson was just givin' out the fortieth Psalm, and when they'd sung the first two lines, "I waited for the Lord, And patiently did bear," The tears just come runnin' down my eyes on to the Psalm-book, and I said to Margaret, my wife, " just catch hold o' me, I'm so weak, and I'll fall." She told me not to scream, for the people 'd be so alarmed, so I held my teeth together. "Well, then, "Wm. Porter brought me out o' the meetin', and I was insensible to what was goin' on round me.' " Thinking the man only meant that he was fully absorbed with his own thoughts, I said, " ' "Were you quite insensible ?' " ' no ! I felt and knew that God was dealin' graciously with me, and my mind was very active in prayer for the Lord to pardon me. " ' I revived in half-an-hour, and was full of a desire to obtain mercy. I slept all Saturday, and on Sabbath mornin' I said to my wife, " "We'll go to meeting to-day." Said Margaret, " No ! you're too weak." " Well," said I, " I'll go by the help o' God, for if I've only got the conviction I'll expect to get the con- version." " ' I didn't seem to get very much that Sunday. A few days afterward, I dreamed I saw a very large graveyard, and Satan was sitting there ! He came forward to take me. I cried out. I cried out for God to stand between us. The Lord came. (I can't describe him.) But he came between us ! And Satan was beaten back. 1 laughed out with joy. There was prayer in my dream, and my wife heard all the words of it.' " ' I've given Robert very little encouragement,' said the wife in reply to a remark, ' because I just wanted to see the Lord do his own work with him, as I knew that the Holy Spirit would be sure to teach him on and lead him right.' APPENDIX. 519 " ' And you, then, fully believe that your husband is the subject of God's converting power?' " ' yes, sir, I believed it from the first from the way I saw him in, and I believe it now from the way he is now in.' " ' I believe,' said the husband, with vigorous emphasis, ' that all the men in London wouldn't a' converted me. I am sure it was the Lord, for I was the worst o' sinners none could be worse.' " Wife. ' I know that he was bad, and one o' the worst, but many's the prayers that I put up for him to the Most High.' " Husband. ' Ah ! she giv' me plenty o' good advice, but I didn't take it but now the Lord has given it f meT " ' And what makes you feel so certain, Robert, that it is the Lord that hath wrought in you this change ?' " ' Because my heart was that hardened that it couldn't be changed without the Lord did change it that's my experience it's of myself I'm speakin' and no one else.' (With great emphasis.) " ' Instead of a song, it's a Psalm now ! My mind isn't now the same thing at all. And I hold to it that when he begins the work he'll finish it!' " Just at parting the convert said, ' "Whisky draws people into bad habits !' I placed the sentence on my paper, for I thought the reclaimed drunkard wanted to sound a sentence of warning to England. ****** " Passing on, we came to the cottage of Mrs. Ann H , a woman who had been stricken on the previous Sunday evening. She grasped the opportunity of discourse with us in her husband's presence. She wore a humble, holy, enriched appearance ; deep satisfaction, and gratitude glorified, beamed in her face. " ' And what think ye of Christ ?' " ' O dear, O dear, such a Saviour ! If it was possible, we should cry try tears of blood to such a Saviour ! Tears of love and gratitude!' " ' Mr. Jefiery is anxious,' said Mr. Carson, ' to take down your testimony.' " ' O sir, I can't express it. I am sure I can't? " ' Have you heard of his crown of thorns ?' " ' yes, sir, I've read about it several times when I've paid little attention to it !' 520 TREASURED MOMENTS. " ' Have you heard of his cries on the cross ?' " ' "Well, sir, y' see the Father Jiad t' hide his face. It was not possible for the cup t' pass.' " ' And what do you think of the resurrection ?' "'O the grave couldn't hold him because the debt was paid! He burst the bands o' the grave, and rose a conqueror over his and our enemies. It's a glorious finished work ! Christ '11 be a whole Saviour, or none at all.' " ' What does the Holy Spirit do ?' "'He teaches our hearts, and that produces love. "We fly, through the Holy Spirit, to the Saviour, and in him there's every fulness. We shall find all in his holy word to direct us.' " ' Christ was mocked, and we don't think it strange if his people on earth is mocked, but when these trials come across us we'll just take the Word of God in our hands, and that '11 be a comfort to us.' " The woman said this apparently in reference to some who scorned the converts, and ridiculed what is called 'The Irish Revival.' " Continuing, she said, ' There's one part we're sure to get comfort from, the 1st of Isaiah " Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow : though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Before I was converted I thought I was do in' well ; but the Holy Spirit hadn't come! and nothing but his power could a' shown me my lost state.' " ' How would you know Christ's ministers ?' '"0 sir ! I trust there is no preacher that the Holy Ghost hasn't sent. If there is, they'll make bad shepherds of the flock depend upon it. dear, dear sir, is there any that the Lord hasn't sent? (appealing to me); O! if there is! I hope and trust that they'll not come near t' us!' " Giving no reply to her fears of corrupt shepherds I was musing on some of the circumstances of the church militant, when she said, ' I suppose, sir, there's a deal o' people that hasn't heard the joyful sound yet. I 'xpect it has got a great length t' go yet. And I trust the Lord '11 soon send it all over our beloved land.' " I told her that the uttermost parts of the earth were not yet in the Redeemer's triumphant possession, but that an age of great APPENDIX. 521 light was surely advancing, which assurance she received with smiles of loveliest hope. ' And now, if you please,' said I, 'express the character of your hope.' "With slow and solemn emphasis she said ' My whole heart, and soul, and confidence is in the Lord Jesus Christ.' " I mentioned ' England.' " ' About them in England,' said she, ' just as far the Scriptures give 'em knowledge, and the Holy Spirit teaches their hearts to see their own unworthiness, they'll not delay.' " ' As we were about to leave, a man who had been listening rose up and said ' I think they must have the gospel preached brilliantly in England, and it's my heart's desire that the Holy Grhost should follow the preaching.' * * * * * * " The religious change wrought in the life of Mr. John K has produced deep astonishment in the neighbourhood of Tubber- more. He was the blind fiddler at every dancing and drinking scene in the district. To use the exact words given me, he was ' a nuisance to the neighbourhood.' I did not expect from this young man refined theological utterances, but was content to pencil the following remarks in all their roughness : " ' I expect to be gettin' more peace,' said John. ' Conversion comes of hearin' and I'll hear more yet if I be spared !' " (The further conversion of which he was desirous, expresses his hope to gain more knowledge.) " ' And when were you converted ?' " ' Eight weeks yesterday, I was shook a'most out of all bounds. Ten years flashed across me ! with pieces of the Psalms. People says t' rne, why wasn't y' converted before then ? But till I was QuicJcenedby the Spirit I couldn't move!' " It is usual with the converts to give full honour to the Holy Grhost in the work of their conversion. They are all agreed in ascribing the change wholly to the operations of sovereign grace. " The blind man continued and said, ' The Lord can turn a man without a convulsion!' meaning that he had not been ' stricken,' and suffered ' prostration ' like some others. "We fully informed him that no particular extent of ' bodily manifestations ' were at all necessary to a legitimate conversion. " ' I feel s' much,' said he, ' those places I've sat in bad places o' every kind. I've been desperate runnin' the country of a Sunday.' 522 TREASURED MOMENTS. " ' Y' see,' said he, endeavouring to paint his own view of the gospel, ' them in the wilderness was healed p' their poisonous bites by lookin.' That was a type o' Christ. My believin' in Jesus gets me an interest. And my whole belief is that his blood was shed for me there ! I expect to get sin in my nature as long I'm in this world, but I hope he'll enable me to bear it,' meaning that he considered the Christian life to be a continual conflict, but he desired the patience of hope until he should be finally delivered from the presence and pain of indwelling sin. " John K left on me the full impression that he was a divinely converted man. ****** " E. J. M. , a tall, genteel, intelligent young woman, says of herself ' I was regular in my attendance at the Sabbath- school, and regularly kneeled to say a form of prayer, but I was an utter stranger to the love of Christ ! "When I heard of the Eevival in county Antrim, I thought it wonderful to hear of Sabbath-breakers, drunkards, and blasphemers, mourning for past sins, brought to the knowledge of the truth, and glorifying God because they were plucked as brands from the burning ! The Eevival spread rapidly, advancing to Castledawson, and Maghera- felt. I went to Maghera to the first Eevival meeting there. Converts from Ahoghill gave addresses : one from the text, " Except a man be born again he cannot se.e the kingdom of God " (John iii. 3), and another from the words " If you die in your sins, where God is you can never come." I saw aEoman Catholic woman stricken : with her eyes raised to heaven, she pressed a Bible to her heart. It was a very impressive scene. At another meeting I attended in Maghera, a convert from county Antrim said, " It is unbelief only that keeps you from God !" I was deeply impressed, and on my way home prayed earnestly that I might not be neglected by the Lord during this great outpouring of his Holy Spirit.' " ' After some days I went to the prayer-meeting opposite. During the reading of the 100th Psalm, by Mr. Carson, the tears rushed into my eyea, but my heart in its pride would not let me weep ! Distressed and confused, my whole frame was convulsed. I screamed and cried, and putting the Bible to my eyes, I deeply stained it with tears ! (showing us the soiled leaves). Gradually I found relief. Peace followed. I saw my Saviour to be the APPENDIX. 523 chief among ten thousand and altogether lovely. Such sweet happiness, heavenly calm, and ardent love as I now realise, I cannot express.' ****** " Leaving Tubbermore, with all its scenes of spiritual fruitful- ness, I was kindly introduced, by Joseph Anderson, Esq., of Springfield, to the parish of Articlave, and the neighbourhood, on the northern coast; also, in preaching for the Rev. J. Lyle in the spacious Presbyterian Church, I obtained an effectual introduction to the people of the district. " The mother of a large family welcomed us at her cottage door, saying ' It's not a long time, sir, since I thought nothing about ministers, but now the most precious persons on earth! " ' Sir, do you believe in this Revival, because if you don't, it may be a waste o' time my speakin' to y'.' " Mrs. McM being assured that I was no unfriendly spirit, went on to say : " ' I've been a person marked with trials these twenty years ; but these only made me harder and harder; and I have been ready to blame my Maker ! I was once very proud and deceit- ful, and now I particularly feel that I was so: I wished to appear better before the world than I was at heart. The old state pierces me daily, which is the only grief now; but, sir, when I feel it, I get the Bible, and go to my knees. Through his stripes I'll at last be healed. Once I could live without prayer ; but now I cannot. When I awake in the night, there is prayer in my heart ; and must not that, sir, be the Holy Ghost ? Ten weeks ago I was converted ; and ! if I had spent all my life like it ! But I'm just a child in grace yet. How envious and angry my heart used to get over every little thing ; but now I feel all love / Ah! the vail o' delusion! Christ must be pleased to rend it. "We can't do anything with that carnal mind ourselves. The heart must be touched !' " ' Will you tell me which you think the two plainest truths in the Bible ?' " ' Man has broken God's laws ; and the Son of God became man to reconcile. Here's a very dreadful verse, sir, for them that know not God " In flaming fire, talcing vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Ohrist: 524 TKEASURED MOMENTS. " Calling on Mrs. Euth McC , she brought us chairs, and fixed them in her garden by a stream-side ; and then said "'I never was so happy in my life never knew what real happiness was before.' " ' Will you kindly tell me from what source you consider your happiness arises ?' " ' O Just willin' t' come! and have come! or I couldn't have such happiness. I'm satisfied the world couldn't produce such. Christ must be lookin' upon me with a look o' compassion. He has shed his precious blood, and therefore I'm certain he don't like me to be lost. I'm confident of it. More precious than all the world Christ is to me.' " ' Who, then, made you so willing ?' " ' The Holy Ghost. The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah foretells the affliction that he had to undergo for us. Tou see, he was payin' our debt. I am afraid of sin creepin' into my heart ; and sometimes afraid of relapsin' ; but he never began a work but what he finished it clean.' " ' Can you describe any of the feelings you had before con- version j" " ' O yes ! Before it, I used to -say, " O what '11 become o' the four girls, and an orphan I've got," with neither father, nor mother, nor sister, nor brother ; and I've an old widowed mother eighty-eight (she only gets sixpence a-week from a lady); but now I go on my knees, and I just give 'em up to God. Before my conversion it was with me, " I suppose," and " perhaps he may;" but now I'm as confident that God hears my prayers, as I see you, sir, a writin' down what I say. I feel him a kind o' acquaintance. Now I just say, " O Lord, take my husband, and all my children;" and I know he'll make a good end of it that I'm confident of.' " ' Will you say anything more ?' " ' O yes, sir, it's the very only thing now that I feel a pleasure in talkin' about. My husband says he can't understand such a change in a short time but God can do as he likes. We're all so blessed now!' " ' Anything more, Euth ?' " ' Well, I used to picture that church (pointing to an Episco- pal building) and wondered if it would hold my sins ; and I said, " Will the Lord look on me, and my poor miserable heart ?" I APPENDIX. 525 never prayed to be stricken, but to be converted, and I'd now try to please every person lest I should make them say or do anything that 'd make 'm sin.' " Speaking of the grave, the convert said : " ' I didn't understand the load o' sin I had on me as I do now ; but the grave was dark. Now, the grave has lost the darkness it had : it's not now the same darkness. And now, if I'm not behavin' too free, what may you be goin' to do with that writin', sir ? ' " ' perhaps, print it, with your permission.' "'"Well well!' and the words lingered on Euth's lips, 'if it would do anybody any good.' * * # * * * " ' "What is your best reason for thinking yourself converted ? ' said I. " ' Things that I used to love very dearly I don't care at all about now,' said a convert, with gentle emphasis ; adding, ' the Bible is more precious than gold now yea, sweeter than honey t' me.' " ' And what is the great truth expressed in the Bible ? ' " ' Oh, that nothing but that ransom will do for man ! ' adding, ' My chief desire now is to be like Christ in my mind ; and I love them that love Christ.' " ' "What is the great mark of a believer ? ' " ' Unto you, therefore, which believe he is precious.' " ' Which of the words of Jesus have particularly engaged you ? ' " ' "When he spoke so kindly to Mary and Peter.' " ' What thoughts have you on the time to come ? ' " ' My thoughts are on the faithfulness of God. I fix myself on that promise " I give unto them eternal life ; and they shall never perish ; neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them to me, is greater than all ; and no man is able to pfuck them out of my Father's hand" ' (John x. 28). ****** " To another I said, ' What do you think of the Lord Jesus ? ' ' It's not long since I was born ' (spiritually), said the convert, ' but there's nothing at all in this world that I can anyhow com- pare him to.' " Arriving at a very humble cottage, the wife greeted us with 526 TREASURED MOMENTS. true Irish fervency ; she, with her husband and son, were said to be striking exhibitions of spiritual intelligence. "'0 y' reverence, y' reverence,' said she, ' I've expressed that, if there was land between us if the sea didn't keep us distant that I'd willingly travel after y', because the congregation you're over is sure o' happiness, and must be livin' on the borders 6 1 heaven. I could a' sat till mornin' clear to a' heard y' ! I trusted in the Most High God that, before I would die, that the Lord w'd send me means o' comin' nigh y' ! ' " Although I had by this time preached to several large con- gregations in Ireland, I had not until now heard of any one having the slightest desire to partake of the spiritual advantages of my ministry in England. The graphic life of the woman's wish that she could walk on an earthen road from Ireland to England direct, caused the picture of such a pilgrimage to flash on our imaginations ; but I wept to think on a very solemn mis- take suggested by the woman's simplicity. I was musing with heavy feelings, when the woman said " ' Our master had a harvest home last night, y' reverence, but in the place o' me being uplifted t' go t' such a place, we went to a prayer-meetin' ourselves and our little boy : he's a servant in the place where the feast was ; he wouldn't have his tea there, but he waited till he got home from the meetin' with us at twelve o'clock. I'll tell y' reverence how this boy 'as conducted himself since he got this blessin' : He has been one o' the rudest, blas- phemin' God's name ! but now he has changed so that there's nothing attends him now but goodness ! He can't read he's got no education ; but he's committed nine hymns to heart since he's received this blessin 1 . I'm intendin' to send him to school, just to fetch him forward.' " Asking for some account of herself, she said " 'Well, y' reverence, I was a bad piece yes ! I was actually bad. In my youth I was taught the Bible, but for ten years I've never looked at it ; but, thirteen weeks ago, I received the Holy Spirit. I wasn't " stricken," but I felt I was a debtor to God ! The heart inside o' me was warmed wi' love to him ! ' " ' Are you content to let everything be known ? ' said the wife. " ' Yes, yes,' replied the husband. " ' "Well, then, I felt urgent for to fetch my husband forward to let me read the Word o' God. I then came to talk with him, APPENDIX. 527 and said I, " "What a' you a mind for t' do ? you'll neither go to mass, meetin', nor church ! and where will y' go to at the last day? " "There'll be no use in goin'," said he, "where I don't kaow what the man says." And then we went on talkin' a good deal. Well, the next day at dinner-time, he came in and said, " If I'd eat all that's in the house I shouldn't be satisfied ! " "Ah! Ah! William," said I, "if y' only knew what I can't express ! " (I meant that if he was fed upon the grace o' God he could be easy satisfied.) Well, he then felt very sorry for his sins, and wept o'er 'em till he'd wet his pocket-handkerchief wi' his tears. He continued so for three weeks, still labourin' under it, and couldn't come forward wouldn't give up his old ways, y' reverence, o' praying to the Virgin Mary and the saints. Well then, I told him it was no use, he must resign those prayers, and pray to the Lord Jesus Christ ; and then he did, and got full recovery. I think, really, he got a new heart ! ' " Questioning the woman on her views of truth, and mention- ing the birth of Christ, she said, ' That was nearly like what I am here mean and poor, y' see,' pointing very graphically to her cottage circumstances ; ' but He's raised to glory, and I trust he'll have me there, too. I think Christ is all love ! ' " The woman, having had Biblical instruction in her youth, had partaken bountifully of a vivid refreshment of memory, so peculiar to the recent converts. " ' Christ among the doctors ? ' eaid I.' " ' Oh, that was like what you're doin' t' me, and what I'm doin' t' you we're askin' and answerin' questions.' " ' The marriage in Cana of Galilee ? ' " ' Ah, yes ! Nothing too hard for the Lord ! ' " ' Christ on the stormy sea ? ' " ' Well, it just shows us that Jesus can save us upon our seas, as he saved Peter.' He's the same, yesterday, to-day, and for ever.' " ' Christ on the cross ? ' " ' It wasn't his own guilt, y' know, that he was crucified for.' " ' The Word of God ? ' " ' My opinion o' that is, y' reverence, that any person that takes it for their guide is sure to get to heaven. I think of nothing now but my Redeemer.' " The husband confessed as follows : 528 TREASURED MOMENTS. " ' T' reverence, there was no sin but I was giiilty of, except theft and murder. I lived a very bad life before conversion. When my wife would take a Bible in her hand (after her con- version), I'd give her a tongue-thrashing; she daren't take it again ! I had a great length to go to the Saviour I had to turn from the chapel (Roman Catholic) I was brought up to. I did once believe I'd get salvation in the Eoman Catholic Church ; but the seven sacraments are no good at all, nor the prayers neither ; they only knocked me back ! I couldn't get forward with 'em at all there's no strength in 'em. No strength but through Jesus Christ ! My heart was chained up with sin. Jesus released me. I was greatly given to singin' vain songs and eursin' ; but now, thanks be to God, none o' these things come near me. I expect to get to heaven through the merits of Jesus Christ. I wouldn't take all the world and give up my Saviour. " ' T' reverence, after I heard you preach, I took a thought in my heart I'd have a prayer-meetin' in my house, and we had about a score. I awoke in the night, and told my wife I must rise to sing and give praise (Psa. cxix. 62). I'm not now afraid to die, y' reverence, because he's my only refuge. I'm not afraid o' the grave now. Heaven is as bright as bright can be.' " Another convert said, ' I have a great delight in prayer ; and I feel that God is able to fetch me through my difficulties. " Come unto me all ye that are weary " has been a sweet scrip- ture to me. I was a rough temper, but now I'd be slow to give or take offence. God the Father was pleased to afflict Jesus for us ; and I think that was the crowning demonstration of his love.' " In a house where a poor withered woman was lying in bed, a newly-awakened person was sitting with a Bible in her hand, ready to beg answers of me. With a ready power her heart instantly reflected the true meaning of all I said. There appeared an almost illimitable capacity to receive. Every word of light I gave her seemed to have its destiny in casting a brightness on dark fields formed for culture and permanent illumination. I never before witnessed so plainly the Divine ability to vivify the vast lengths and breadths of the human mind. Instantaneous flashes of super- natural light revealed distances in the mental constitution of this converted woman which convinced me that I was in the immediate APPENDIX. 529 presence of an immortal creation. As usual, I asked for a mes- sage to England. The woman simply said ' PEAT FOB us.' " The room was now full of visitors. Duty compelled me to pass round with a question : ' Mary N , are you converted or unconverted?' 'Unconverted, sir' (with gentle emphasis). 'James McM ?' 'O! I'll be on his side' (wishfully). ' John N" ? ' ' Well, I've a feelin' heart for it, sir ' (hope- fully). Eliza a ? ' ' Unconverted, sir.' ' Maria G ? ' (nearly one hundred years of age.) ' Well, sir, I've no other support. I've got very little to say ; the memory's gone ; but I can read my Bible a little yet. My husband was a Eomau Catholic, but Pat never gave me one discontented word -never one. We lived seventy-eight years together.' ' Stewart S ? ' ' It was my last extremity, sir, comin' to Christ ; but he treated me like a brother ! Christ's is a tried work. When a believer is tried, Tie might shake a little ; but Christ he stood all that came against him ! I've been restin' partly on the work of Christ since 1827, but I've been restin' fully on his finished work only, since January last. The old formal and sinful things are now gone. The first verse of the eighth chapter of Romans was a great turn- ing-point t' me ; that was just where I found my anchor ! I'm not now striving for my justification, but for my sanctification.' ****** " John W , a farm-servant, said, ' I was ten years in Arti- clave, and never went to church all that time. I never thought of dying. I led a bad life whisky drinking. I was thoroughly bound in the chains of my sins. Nothing that all the sons of men could have done for me would have changed me. It is my blessed Saviour that has done it. I seem to be praying to him every minute in the day, and from my very heart ! ' * * * * * * " I was introduced to the district of Crossgar by the Eev. J. Martin, the worthy Presbyterian minister, whose parish I found to be largely influenced by gracious power. " James B , aged fifteen, a linen-weaver for three years past, can read and write a little, son of a small farmer, said to me, 'Before I was converted, sir, I thought I was pretty fair I thought I wasn't walkin' far astray ; but, my dear friend, when I saw the works o' the Most High on others, I was led to see that I was a poor sinner, and in great need of a Saviour, and I prayed 2L 530 TREASURED MOMENTS. earnestly that I might get an utterance in prayer ; and in half-an- hour it was answered ! I began at first to speak quiet, but in a short time you'd 'a heard me far enough. I found a great love to Jesus, which I never felt before ; and this was what I was prayin' t' get. Then I rose, and gave thanks to the Most High for what he had done for my poor soul ; and I found the 40th Psalm, to get two or three to sing it in my father's house. I thought it was so near to my own case, for " He brought me up also out of an horrible pit." After the singin' of this Psalm, I was so uplifted, that I wanted wings to fly off this world ; but I felt that I must stay a little longer, here a little longer here ! ' said the boy, in a soft, deep, melodious tone. 'And I had a desire to go through all the world a preachin', but I warn't learned enough, and it 'd be a shame, and the people 'd be affronted wi' me ; but I went into widow McF 's and kept worship, and they were glad to have me, and all joined in it. I've kept worship in my father's house ever since I was converted, and they're very glad to see that I'm able to do it.' " ' Can you tell me some of the things for which you are moved to pray ? ' " ' First, I pray for the continuation of the Eevival work in any way that he pleases ; I don't set any particular way ; I should like it to be carried on any way that the Most High pleases. 1 see there's many too cold-hearted, and I pray that God would give his Holy Spirit to them. And I pray for my relations and neighbours, and for all the servants of Christ, 'specially the teachers, and those that have took such a deep interest in the work ; and also for those in the dark lands that haven't the pleasure o' readin' Grod's Word, and haven't constant ministers. "When I'm tempted, I'm forced to go to pray, and then I get over it. He tempts me to think shame o' goin' t' pray, for fear anyone sh'd make fun of it.' " ' How do you feel with respect to chapels ? ' " ' I should like t' have 'em down.' " ' What ! destroy places of worship ? ' " ' ! I mean the Eoman Catholic places ! we call them chapels' " ' What is your opinion of Roman Catholicism ? ' " ' I see that they don't put very big confidence in the Eevival.' " ' Have you any other opinion of them ? ' , APPENDIX. 531 " (After deliberation) * I think I'll go no further.' (After a pause) ' I'll stop now' ' ' What do you think, then, of meeting-houses ? ' " ' O ! I think they go very near the gospel' : (an idiomatic expression, signifying in Ireland it's the very thing itself!} " ' Have you ever heard of the word Justification ? ' " ' It's an act of free grace. We're righteous in God's sight by puttin' all our confidence in Christ. He fulfilled the law ; and you come poor sinner makin' yourself nothing.' " ' How would you describe the righteous man ? ' " ' He is humble and lowly ; he'll have worship in his family, and attend to private prayer ; and he'll be very glad to hear of those poor dark heathens that they have received the mission- aries kindly, and read the Bibles they take to 'em.' " ' What is grace like ? ' " ' It makes us very wise. We'll get it free if we ask for it with a sincere heart.' " ' What character would you give the heart of man ? ' " ' It's the worst enemy that a man has. It's the worst I have. It's an euemy against God.' " ' Do you do anything with this enemy ? ' " ' We pray that it '11 not get the dominion over us. It must be done by private prayer : for y' see, while our Saviour was upon earth, how often was He in private prayer! I must pray on for the Holy Spirit to subdue and raise up my heart to Christ. Nothing but the Holy Spirit taught me that I was a poor empty sinner ! ' " ' What would you say of the gospel ? ' " ' It '11 go forward : it's God's own Word. Ah ! it '11 be a glorious world when the gospel '11 cover th' whole earth ! ' " ' Tell 'em, sir, when you reach England,' said the boy, ' to pray for me, and I'll pray for them ; and I trust the Lord '11 guide the Queen in the appearance o' troublesome times ; but I hear what's very very bad about her children ! that two of 'em is bein' brought up in a Popish way ! ' ****** " Mr. Thomas D says, ' When I heard of the Lord's mar- vellous doings in other places, that numbers were being brought out of darkness into his marvellous light, I thought it surely must be a great and glorious work. I was what people call a 2 L2 532 TREASUKED MOMENTS. moral man. I attended the house of God, and I thought I surely was on my way to the kingdom of heaven. But, alas ! I was only deceiving myself, for I afterwards found that I was but the almost and not the altogether Christian. There was a meeting in the open air, at which the Eev. J. Martin presided, and then and there I was stricken down. I was in great agony of soul. My sins rushed to my remembrance. I saw that I was the chiefest of sinners. I cried, from the depths of distress, " Lord, be mer- ciful to me a sinner ! " I was pointed to the Saviour. I was told that he was able to save the chiefest of sinners, and that he was willing to save, and I continued on my knees for about an hour, crying loudly for mercy, and pleading earnestly for pardon ; and, blessed be his glorious name, he heard my cry, and took me from the fearful pit and from the miry clay, and set my feet upon the rock ; and I am now relying upon him that he will establish my goings. I rose from my knees with the 116th Psalm, and requested it to be sung by the meeting. I felt a sweet calm and quiet of mind, and a glow of warmth in my heart to Jesus. It only remains for me to say that I feel, and have experienced a great change. I feel it a change of heart, a change of mind, and a change of life ! I trust I can say, " Old things have passed away ; behold, all things are become new." I feel a delight in God, and am grieved [only because I cannot love him as I ought. I try to love him for what he is of himself, as well as for what he has done for me. I hope he will bless me, and make me a blessing to others ; and, though I am weak, I look to him for strength, and hope that I shall be enabled to go on unwearied, until I appear before him in Zion above, where I shall serve him without weariness, without interruption, and without end.'' ****** " A beloved ministerial friend of mine, the Eev. B. Farrington, B.A., furnishes me with the following sketch : " ' O, sir ! 'tis a blessed thing to be a Christian,' said a young lad, as we returned together from an open-air preaching. ' Yes,' said I, ' so it is ; but have you felt the burden of your sins ? ' 'I have, sir,' he replied, ' but I have got rid of it ! ' ' What is your confidence ? ' said I to a little girl from ten to twelve years of age, for her experience had been extraordinary, and I feared she might trust in that; but she looked at me in perfect astonishment that I should put such a question, and answered, ' Christ, sir, APPENDIX. 533 nothing but Christ.' ' And what about your sins ? ' ' Jesus took them all away.' ' "What, all?' ' Tes, ALL.' In fact, I had to change my tone, lest I should myself appear ignorant of the gospel. ' This little boy is a convert,' said a bystander, of a sunny-faced little fellow, who was amusing himself among a group of little ones to whom I was speaking. A conversation then ensued, which I give as accurately as I can : " ' Well, my boy, do you love the Lord Jesus ? ' " Boy (with emphasis) : ' yes, sir.' " ' But did you not always love him ? ' (This was said to prove him.) " ' Ah, no, sir ! I did not.' " ' How old are you ? ' " He paused, and looked at me as if he suspected a deeper meaning than the ordinary import of the words, and replied " ' About two months, sir.' " I caught his meaning. He had been ' born again ' two months before 1 Taking the hand of the young disciple, I pro- ceeded : 11 ' But tell me what age is " the old man ? " ' " He understood me in turn, and replied without hesitation, ' Thirteen years.' " Now, my brother, what do you say to that ? I know what you will say 'Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings God has ordained strength.' " In Ulster, it is no longer difficult ' to know a justified sinner as he passes along the streets.' ' Have you found Christ jet ? ' said I to a lad, who, with ' radiant face,' had got into the train, but who as yet had said nothing. ' Bless the Lord ! I have,' said he ; and this was far from the only case in which the face, before the tongue, had told the tale." I received the following facts from Rev. R Knox, Pastor of a Presbyterian church, at Belfast : " In passing through one of the streets of Belfast one day, I was told that a little boy in the house, No. 4, was very ill. I called. He was a stranger to me. I found him in bed. ' What ails you, my dear boy?' said I. ' Oh, my sins, sir! I cannot bear the weight of my sins.' ' Do you feel that you are a sinner ? ' ' Oh, sir, I am the chief of sinners.' 'And what are you doing ?' 'I 534 TREASURED MOMENTS. am praying to Jesus.' ' And what are you asking Jesus to do for you?' 'To take away my sins.' He was coiled up in bed, his little hands firmly closed. Even while I spoke to him, and pointed to the Lamb of God, he continued in earnest prayer. When I called again, he was full of joy. He had found the Messiah. I asked him, ' Is there anything you would like to do for Jesus?' His reply was, 'I would like to bring all my brothers, and sisters, and the whole world to Him.' "A messenger came one evening and said to me, such a lad, one of your Sabbath-scholars, has found Christ. I went immediately to the house. He was there, but not alone. A number of his companions, little boys, had gathered there. What did the child do ? He was not ashamed of Jesus, or afraid to tell what he had done for his own soul. He appealed to his companions about their souls. He told them 'what he felt ; how happy he was ; what Jesus had done for him. He proposed to pray for them, and they all knelt down. I heard that prayer. It was most simple, touching, and earnest. Before 1 left, one of the boys present was enabled ' to believe, and to give his heart to Jesus.' The two little fellows embraced each other. How they spoke of the love of Christ ; of the power of His Spirit ; of their own joy ! How, in the presence of all, they encouraged each other to stand firm, and cleave to Jesus." " I was called on by the father of a large family to visit his daughter, a little girl, who was in great distress about her soul. When I reached the house, she was praying earnestly for pardon. All in the house heard her prayer. ' Oh, Lord ! forgive my sins. I am a wicked sinner: Lord Jesus, take away my sin. Come, Lord Jesus, and save me. Oh save me. Oh ! give a new heart ; take away this stony heart ; send Thy Holy Spirit,' &c. While she was thus pleading for herself, a strong man cried with an ex- ceedingly loud and bitter cry for mercy. He fell prostrate. His suffering was intense. G-reat fear fell on all present. The little girl drew near the strong man in his agony. In a moment she gave up pleading for herself, and began to tell him of the love of Jesus. ' Look to Jesus. If you come to him, He will save you. Oh ! pray to Jesus. Oh ! if you knew the love of Jesus,' &c., &c. "On another occasion, I was invited to visit a house pointed out to me, in which there was a woman under conviction of sin. I entered, but found no one in the front floor. I passed upstairs. APPENDIX. 535 As I entered the room, I heard the voice of prayer. It was low, soft, and tender. It was the voice of a child. There, beside the bed on which the poor woman lay, was a little boy on his knees praying for her. I paused and listened, and heartily joined in that prayer. It was one of the most touching scenes I had ever witnessed. The child poured out his whole heart to G-od, and several times as I thought he was coming to a close, he burst forth again and pleaded on and on, as if he could not rise from his knees till his prayer was answered." A FEW ADDITIONAL FACTS FROM OTHER AUTHENTIC SOURCES. THE awakening began originally in prayer. A few young men in one district, some two years ago, banded themselves together to " give the Lord no rest " on behalf of their un- converted friends and neighbours. They prayed, and pleaded, and waited ; they began to speak to those around them with a kind of heavenly fire souls were touched, the meetings grew, the young men went forth elsewhere, and told what God had begun to do for them ; the awakening came with them, " spreading " (says an eye-witness) " as rapidly and suddenly as the conflagration in an American prairie." Thus God honoured the prayer of expectant faitb> and scarcely any other human agency seemed at work. - Never was any awakening known in which prayer did so much, and preaching did so little, as in this. An humble mechanic or mill-worker, whose heart the Lord had opened, and whose mouth could not but utter the " good matter touch- ing the King," of which his heart was full, has taken it upon him to speak a few simple words for Christ ; and the result has been oftentimes the awakening of a whole neighbourhood. Sticklers for order have murmured in some places as if God had committed a mistake in using so humble an instrument- ality ; but the work has gone on notwithstanding, and the 536 TREASURED MOMENTS. murmurers have been left, in sundry instances, like stranded vessels on the shore, the tide retiring and leaving them high and dry. One Saturday evening, some converts were pleading together for a special blessing on the Word the next day. They felt as if the Lord had been peculiarly with them ; and the fol- lowing morning, as the congregation was assembling, they said to several friends, and among others to the clergyman on his way to the church, " We are sure that the Holy Spirit will do a great work among us this day." Prayer believing prayer is a prophetic thing, it is the Lord's own harbinger of blessing ; and so it proved that day. The sequel we must give in the clergyman's own words : "The usual public services were proceeded with, but in great weakness ; for the preacher was quite exhausted, unable to speak vigorously. The subject was, ' Quench not the Spirit/ About the middle of the sermon, after mentioning parties who fear, and who would try to escape, the operations of the Spirit, the preacher with united hands and uplifted eyes, said tenderly, ' Lord Jesus, forgive them ! ' He stood in that attitude and in perfect silence, for perhaps a minute, when the death-like stillness of the church was broken by heavy sighs and by loud earnest cries for mercy in all direc- tions through the house. The audible supplicants were re- moved and attended to. In a few minutes the remaining congregation were seated again, more than half of them in tears, and some of them evidently with great difficulty restraining themselves from pleading aloud for mercy. The services were quietly proceeded with, there being no inter- ruption till the close, but by the breaking forth of one other over-filled heart, which could hold no longer. During the evening of the day, in their homes and prayer-meetings, many more were overwhelmed with a sense of sin." We have before alluded to the effect of the awakening upon the clergy. We must here add a few more examples. One clergyman we heard of, who after witnessing some of APPENDIX. 537 these scenes, said, " When I go home, the first thing I mean to do is to burn my six-and-twenty years' sermons ; they are beside the mark ; I feel as if I had never known what it was to speak to perishing souls/' Another clergyman we heard of, who came one evening to a prayer-meeting, "just to see the work for himself." He observed all that took place and retired to his hotel, when, at twelve o'clock, he sent for the minister of the place, urging him to come and see him forthwith. The minister came and found the stranger in a state of the deepest distress about his sin. They remained together till two in the morning, the distress not abated ; at length they parted for the night. The next forenoon the minister again called. " O dear brother," was the other's joyful salutation, " I have been enabled to cast my all on Jesus. I have been wrestling all night at the mercy-seat ; and now I have peace with God." After awhile he added : " But I feel my usefulness is gone. Jesus can have nothing more for me to do. I must retire from his public service/' " No," rejoined his friend ; " your sufficiency is in Jesus you are now more than ever called to speak for him/' " But I am so very weak an instrument. I cannot go forward in public work." "Brother, you have already cast your sins on Jesus ; why not cast this care on him?" The simple Word was received by him as a little child ; and he felt the blessedness of casting all his care on him. A third clergyman was named to us, who came into his pulpit one morning, and, with tears in his eyes, told his people that, ever since he had been among them, he had preached the gospel to them as he had been taught it, but that, till then, he had never known what it was to have Jesus for his own Saviour. In a time of little faith and little love, people are content to live without assurance; but, on these scenes of the Spirit's 538 TREASURED MOMENTS. power, we found the converts, not discussing assurance, but enjoying it. To be in doubt about their state, they seemed to feel to be a kind of hell ; to know that they were forgiven was heaven already begun. CONVERTS. The converts often express themselves in terms which mani- fest a deep clear insight into the things of Christ. I heard one man, for example, who was a convert from Romanism, say that, during his agony, a bystander spoke to him of " a drop of the Redeemers blood being sufficient to take all his sins away ;" to which he replied, " No ; it required the last drop to take one sin away." As one of the converts, an aged man, went on to utter, in burning words, the praises of him who had blotted out in his blood all his crimson sins, one after another was smitten down. Among them was a woman, whom a visitor by-and-by approached, and found at her side a little barefooted boy, of twelve or fourteen years of age, praying most earnestly thus " Lord Jesus ! you know I do not know how to pray to you ; you know I do not know how to say one word pleasing to you. But you have forgiven my sins ; and oh, I ask you to show this woman your loving heart, and that you are willing to forgive her her sins also ! " On Sunday morning three little boys were fishing. In the evening they went to a prayer-meeting which two converts were holding in the village. Two of them were stricken, and began to cry bitterly for their sins. The third was smitten next day on the mountain, when out herding cattle. All three found peace that night in Christ ; and on the Tuesday APPENDIX. 539 afternoon they were noticed on their way to a sick neighbour, carrying their Bibles to read to him. After the meeting the visitor spoke to a girl whose bright heavenly expression, though she was bareheaded and without shoes, struck him with a kind of awe. "What in the world makes you look so happy ? " said he. " Oh, sir," was her reply, " haven't I got Christ ? and if he does not make a body happy, I do not know who can ! " In another place, a little boy, who had been recently con- verted, was using all his energies in seeking to win souls. Among other objects of his solicitude was a young lady. He knelt down one day beside her and prayed for her. Day after day he persisted in asking God, in her own hearing, to bring her immediately to Jesus ; and at length she was awakened and converted. At a prayer-meeting one morning, a clergyman told us a story about a little boy who had been repeatedly at meetings, where, one after another, people had been crying for their sins, and had found rest in Christ On going home one evening, he had said to his father and mother, and to two or three others who were in the house, " There's me home again to-night without Christ ! " He was beginning to tremble, lest the day of visitation might pass and he remain unsaved. The clergyman added that, on that little story being narrated at a meeting, one of those present had been suddenly seized with the most agonising terror about her own soul, and screamed aloud for fear. In another town a boy thirteen years of age, after deep convictions of sin, had been brought to quiet rest in Jesus. " But how will you do," asked a visitor kindly, " when you 540 TREASURED MOMENTS. go back among your companions ? Are you not afraid of falling away from your love to Jesus ? " "I know," the little fellow replied, solemnly, but firmly, " that I have my dark clouds to pass through, for I am still in the flesh. But I know that I am bound to my Jesus with two cords the cord of faith and the cord of love. The cord of faith may be slackened for a time, but the cord of God's love, which my Jesus fastened in my heart, can never be broken oh never, never ! " One morning, in a Sunday-school, the superintendent in- quired if any one had any word to say to the rest. After a pause, a little girl of eight rose, amidst a death-like silence. " Last Sunday morning/' she said, in her simple way, " I went home with a great load on my heart. I asked my brother what I was to do, for my sins were like to sink me into hell. He said, ' I'll pray for you ;' but day after day passed, and I got no relief. I went to him again and told him, and he said, ' Go to Jesus yourself, and ask him to take away the load from your heart/ Well, I went to Jesus, and I laid my sins on him ; and now the load is gone. I have the peace which passeth all understanding." And then, turning to all the children around her, she began to plead with them, and to entreat them to flee to him. The following prayer was offered up by a little girl between seven and eight years of age, in a country district, not far from Ballymena. With hands clasped in agony, eyes swim- ming in tears, face turned upwards, she exclaimed loudly and imploringly, in the Scotch patois of the north, " O Christ ! come to me ! O Christ ! come to me ! an' when you do come, O dinna lea' me, but ay stay wi' me ! " APPENDIX. 541 When a servant-girl was first heard to pray, it was for herself, " God be merciful to me." The next time for herself and all in that house. The third time for herself, all in that house, and everybody. I have seen the tears gush from the eyes of that girl, when engaged in prayer, as if water had been poured on her head. The ardent desire manifested for the reading of the Bible, and the scriptural views expressed by the awakened, give a strong evidence that the work is from him who has said, " Search the Scriptures : for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me ! " Visiting a family in which were three children who had passed through the ordeal of deep conviction, the father said to me he had just been reading to his children an account of the Revival as given in the memoir of Mr. Cheyne ; but soon their attention was lost, and could only be regained by reading to them from the Bible ! I may now mention, in conclusion, a remarkable answer to prayer which I witnessed at Ballyblack. At the close of the Thursday evening prayer-meeting, after the congregation had been dismissed, a man dressed in mean apparel came up to me, and heartily shook me by the hand, pointing at the same time to his mouth, from which strange, unintelligible, babbling sounds proceeded. Mr. Mitchell whispered to me, " He is dumb." I imagined that it was a case of temporary loss of speech, and said to him, " You must pray to God to restore your speech ; he cares for your body as well as for your soul." He instantly threw down his bonnet, knelt down on the stone passage, as I thought, to engage in silent prayer. I was much astonished, when, after a moment or two of silence, he opened his lips, and with a comparatively clear and distinct voice, 5-t;> TREASURED MOMENTS. poured forth an earnest prayer for us, for the congregation, and for the world. Before the prayer was finished the power of utterance forsook him, and he was again as mute as when he came up to me. Mr. Mitchell afterwards informed me that this was not a case of temporary dumbness, and that " Jamie " had been as I saw him from his birth. THE EEYIVAL IN BALLYMENA AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. BY THE BEY. SAMUEL J. MOOEE. [From the abundance that has been written and published on this subject, and placed at my disposal, I have not dared to trust my own judgment in making a selection, but sought counsel from the most experienced and distinguished men lay and clerical who could testify of what they had seen and heard. Such as Professor Gibson, of Belfast ; Rev. William M'Clure, and Rev. Dr. Denham, of Londonderry, and others. The following brief and concise narrative, though local in its details, is admitted Jby all to be among the best things that have yet been written on the subject ; and, though but a minia- ture of God's great work in Ireland, gives to the reader as perfect a likeness of the whole as he could have from a full- length portrait.] How noiseless and small the beginning of the great Revival movement in America! J. C. Lanphier a good, loving, ear- nest, prayerful man was appointed lay missionary in the city of New York, on 1st July, 1857. He yearned for the salvation of souls. Almost daily, in the lecture-room of the old Dutch church, did he, quite alone, struggle in prayer. His cry was "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do." Soon was the idea suggested to him of a noon-day prayer-meeting, from twelve to one o'clock the hour usually given by business men to rest and refreshment. On the 23rd day of September, 1857, at twelve APPENDIX. 543 o'clock, was the door of the lecture-room thrown open for the first noon-day prayer-meeting. At half-past twelve the solitary supplicant heard the step of one person coming to join him : soon after, another, and another, and another, and another; so that the now far-famed Fulton-street prayer-meeting consisted, during the first half-hour of its existence, of one person ; and, at the close of its first hour, of six persons. The numbers gradually increased. Many became interested. From being a weekly it became a daily prayer-meeting. Others were established. They soon pervaded the Union. Now mark the similitude, as to dates and instru- mentality, that pertains to this awakening in America, and in the North of Ireland. A friend informs me that, in September, 1857, was commenced, in a little school-house near to Connor, county Antrim, The Believers' Fellowship Meeting. The society consisted at first of four young men John Wallace, James M'Quilkin, Kobert Carlisle, and J. Meneely. The two first-mentioned bad lately removed from Ballymena, where, some short time previously, they had seen themselves, and been found by their Saviour. The special object of their society was prayer that God would bless the preaching of the gospel in the Connor congregation, and their own labours, and those of others, in connection with the prayer- meetings and Sabbath-schools throughout the district. The society soon ceased to be a secret one ; and slowly one kindred spirit after another was introduced, on the recommendation of some of the original members. For a few months they had to walk by faith. The seed, however, was not long cast upon the waters till the tide ebbed, and the tender blade sprung up. They wrestled on. They prevailed. Surely when God's set time is come when he intends signally to answer prayer he disposes the supplicant to plead, and, with growing anxiety, to plead on till the blessing is secured. The first observable instance of conversion occurred in Decem- ber following. A young man became greatly alarmed. After some time, in answer to earnest prayer by himself and others, he found peace and confidence. Early in January a youth in the Sabbath-school class taught by one of those young men was brought to the saving knowledge of Christ as his Saviour. Special prayer, about the same period, was frequently offered in the Fellowship Meeting in behalf of two persons who, some three months afterwards, joyfully professed their faith in the Lord 544- TREASURED MOMENTS. Jesus. Faith grew. Hope brightened. " The power of prayer " began to be known, and felt, and seen. The Spring Communion came on. Throughout the extensive parish, consisting of some thousand families, it was generally known that, lately, persons had been turned to the Lord among them some moral, and some wildly immoral. A few had heard of a similar triumph of Divine grace beyond the Atlantic. The services were peculiarly solemn. The Master's presence seemed to be recognised, and his call heard. A great impulse was given to consideration and seriousness, inten- sifying and extending these general precursors of conviction and revival. The old prayer-meetings began to be thronged, and many new ones established. No difficulty now to find persons to take part in them. The winter was past ; the time of the singing of birds had come. Humble, grateful, loving, joyous converts multiplied. They, with the children of God, who in that district have been revived greatly refreshed by this Divine Spirit are now very numerous. There are, on an average, sixteen prayer- meetings every night in the week, throughout the bounds of that one congregation i.e., about one hundred weekly. The awaken- ing to a sight of sin, the conviction of its sinfulness, the illumina- tion of the soul in the knowledge of a glorious Saviour, and conversion to him all this operation, carried on by the life- giving Spirit, was in the Connor district for more than eighteen months, a calm, quiet, gradual, in some cases, a lengthened process, not commencing in, or accompanied by, a " smiting down" of the body, or any extraordinary physical prostration more than what might be expected to result from great anxiety and deep sorrow. Thus, it is worthy of being noticed and remembered, that the present American Revival began in 1857 ; so did the Revival in Connor : the one began in the month of September, so did the other : one youth in each of the movements dates his conversion, November, 1856 : prayer fervent, confiding, and unceasing was, and continues to be, the prominent charac- teristic of the one and of the other : laymen one or six, in the one case, and four in the other, were the prominent agents in commencing, as they continue to be, in carrying on the work in the one country as well as in the other. Oh ! that it may become as extensive in the Old as it is in the New World ! In the beginning of this year a convert from Connor visited his friends near Ahoghill ; and, through his urgency and prayers, APPENDIX. 545 the Holy Spirit awakened nearly all the family to a deep sense of their sins. These became missionaries to their neighbours and friends ; and about the middle of February hundreds through the parishes of Drummaul and Ahoghill were overwhelmed with con- victions of sin, its dangers and demerits ; and during the month of March, in private houses, and barns, and school-houses, and churches, prayer-meetings were conducted and addressed by recent converts, attended by multitudes in the houses, and around them. In their own private homes, as well as at these meetings, many persons were violently convicted. I day violently, for in the great majority of cases known to the public in the Ahoghill and Ballymena districts, the process of conviction has been alto- gether of a different type from that known in the adjoining parish of Connor up till that time. This phase will be referred to sub- sequently, when I come to speak of the physical characteristics. In Ballymena the work began early in April. The first convict* I think I may truly say convert who is resident in town, is a lad some sixteen years of age. His was a purely mental process. He was not smitten, like many, prostrate and helpless to the ground, in agonising horror. He had deep anxiety, great fear, for some weeks. He found Jesus to be his own Saviour. He rejoiced in peace, yet with trembling ; for among his companions he could find no kindred spirit, perhaps for nearly a month. Others had been previously " struck " in Ballymena, in the streets and in the public-houses, on the market-days ; but they were from the country. The second and third persons belonging to the town, and also the second and third persons whom I had seen under agonising convictions of sin, were two females of mature years, pretty well instructed in gospel doctrine, and of good moral character. They continue faithful to Jesus, and I am persuaded will do so. The one sighed heavily and wept bitterly, the other seemed absorbed in thought or overwhelmed ki sorrow. I engaged in very earnest prayer ; but I soon had to cease, and remain there for perhaps ten minutes in silent admiration of the sweet and intensely anxious, and powerful, and appropriate prayer I had ever listened to. The next visit I was called to make was to an Arian family, and soon afterwards to a Eoman Catholic * This word is used in Ireland to designate any one under conviction of sin, while in America we apply it only to such criminals as have been tried and found guilty by the verdict of a jury. 2 M 546 TREASURED MOMENTS. family. In none of these cases, except in the last-named house- hold, did the now common hysteric phenomena make their appear- ance. On my return, after two days' absence at a meeting of Synod, I found the town in a state of great excitement. Many families had not gone to bed for the two or three previous nights. From dozens of houses, night and day, you would hear, when passing along, loud cries for mercy by convicts, or the voice of prayer by kind visitors, or the sweet soothing tones of sacred song. Business seemed at a standstill. In some streets four or five crowds of people, in houses, and before the open doors and open windows, engaged in prayer or in praise, all at the same time. However the Miriams might fret or fume, a very large number of the people, during the past few days, had been meta- morphosed into prophets and precentors. A goodly number of young men, in business establishments in town, and not a few young workmen shoemakers, carpenters, sawyers, and labourers, who were depending for their daily bread on their daily wages gave up almost their entire time, day and night, during the first week, to minister to the religious instruction, and physical and spiritual comfort, of the poor stricken sufferers. I put this on record to the honour of these young members of the Church. Many of them are Sabbath-school teachers. I bless God that, instead of ranking among the scoffers at religion, they and their female fellow-teachers are among the readiest and most efficient agents for its diffusion. But for them in this crisis I do not see what would have been done ; for in their first alarm, the people of both town and country would demand that a minister, an elder, should be in a dozen places at once. Prayer-meetings, in town and country, became very numerous. In private houses they were held all hours of the day and night. At first they were held in the principal Presbyterian churches every evening ; latterly they are held alternately in these churches. At each meeting, addresses are delivered and prayers offered by converts, the minister presiding. In the Parochial School-house in town a weekly meeting has latterly been held for lecture and prayer. Also, in the Methodist Chapel there are frequent meetings during the week. These meetings have been continued for three months, and still the interest is unabated and the attendance undiminished. For the last few Sabbaths the evening assembly has been in a sloping field opposite to Brookvale Cottage, addressed principally APPENDIX. 54-7 by laymen generally recent converts presided over by a minister. For four or five weeks past a union prayer-meeting is held in the town-hall on Tuesday and Friday, at noon, attended by ministers and members of the Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and Methodist churches. Persons from England and Scotland, and many parts of Ireland, were to be seen perambulating the streets and lanes of Ballymena during the past months ministers, missionaries, Sabbath-school agents, and cool, inquisitive business-men, anxious to witness with their own eyes and ears this strange thing, of which they had heard in their distant homes a half-dead soul revived by God's Spirit ! a poor lost sinner, with God's " arrows sticking fast in him " his crimes over him like a thick cloud " his iniquities a burthen too heavy for him to bear" his heart sore pained within him, " the terrors of death having fallen on him" fearfulness and trembling, and horror overwhelming him now crying, again shouting, screaming for mercy again unin- telligible to auditors, a modern Hezekiah, " chattering like a crane or a swallow." One in twenty of these inquirers, perhaps, returned home apparently dry, cold, sceptical, puzzled. Many returned having caught a spark of the celestial fire, to be fanned into a flame in their own localities. These strangers were, I believe invariably treated, by the poor people visited, with politeness, though such frequent calls interfered very much with their domestic quiet and industry, now so indispensable, after a period of non-employment, in consequence of bodily weakness, and although some were inquisitive to an extent very injurious to the peace of uneducated persons. Now that " his work's reviving all around " in Broughshane, Ballymoney, Coleraine, Maghera- felt, Cookstown, &c., &c. we are likely to be deserted. I feel very grateful for the valuable assistance rendered us at our evening and noon-day prayer-meetings by ministers from a dis- tance, belonging to the Assembly, and the Establishment, and the Tree Church, and to young business men and to some students from Belfast, who promise to be burning as well as shining lights. Some of these spent a week with us ; and certainly they must have required a good, long, sound sleep when they reached home, for here they were not many hours in bed. The Author, the Great First Cause of this great change, we know, but the early instrumentalities, as to both persons and 2 M 2 4 TREASURED MOMENTS. places, are in many cases hidden. I have spoken of the Connor fellowship meeting : but that manifestly was the result of the then recent exertion of the Spirit's quickening power upon the persons constituting that society. In the hearts of some of these the reviving spirit had begun to work a year, in others two years, before the date of that society for special prayer. This Connor enlightenment, so far as practicable, was kept unnoticed and unknown. It seems to have been so gradual and gentle, like the dew on the mown grass, that the parties did not feel constrained for a time to compel others to come in; or it may be they were " sick of love," as very many now frequently are, and in the sweets of enjoyment, felt, if they did not say, in the language of the bride " I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up nor awake my love, till he please." One member of the flock wandered a little way beyond the parochial limits, and touched with a live coal from the altar himself, his words, and tears, and prayers, kindled a flaming fire in the hearts of others, and impelled them to go and beseech sinners to flee from the wrath to come. Besides, tidings of the American Eevival reached this country. Our church courts directed ministers to consider the subject, and to preach on it. This was generally done throughout our Pres- bytery, and I presume throughout the congregations of our Synod. American newspapers, especially The New York Ob- server, were regularly read by some of us : and thus the subject kept fresh and prominent before the mind. From an early period in the history of the movement in America and in Connor I know that the daily, I might say hourly, prayer of some earnest spirits was " Come, Lord Jesus, come /" " Spirit of God, O Holy Spirit, come!" and that many an hour a day's sweet refreshing revival did these supplicants enjoy, months, many months before the awakening w r as so marked or so extensive as to attract the notice of either the Church or the world. Many a freezing and crushing these spirits got in the interim, so that their seasons of depression almost counterbalanced their seasons of holy delight. How they rejoice for the few weeks past in the sympathy of hundreds of kindred spirits, ay, of mere babes in Christ, as to time, far, far ahead of them in faith, and zeal, and holy love. They feel that they have the upper hand now : may the Spirit of Jesus enable them to keep it ! In the first and third Presbyterian APPENDIX. 549 churches in Ballymena addresses were delivered, and prayers presented to God, a few weeks before the revival made its appearance in town, by two of the original members of the Connor fellowship meeting. As already noticed, a youth, belonging to Ballymena had been previously brought to Christ after weeks of anxiety. By the services just mentioned the attention of the working classes was particularly arrested : but when the Spirit's power began to be extensively and manifestly exerted in prostrating the moral and immoral in conviction of sin, no means different from the usual church ordinances were being employed. On some that power seemed to fall like a sun- stroke. Perhaps it would be wrong for me not to add that the Sabbath-school system has been most vigorously worked in this and in all the neighbouring towns and districts for some years past. Our teachers are generally punctual, persevering, prayerful, and not a few of them very well qualified. Years ago I have rejoiced at the death-beds of many Sabbath-school teachers and scholars. And although a preacher myself, and not applying, nor desiring that others should apply, the remark to myself, I think it only justice to my ministerial brethren, in this district, to say, that I believe the gospel has for years been as faithfully, and fearlessly, and affectionately preached by them as ever it was in any land since the days of the Apostles. This, however, was no more than their duty ; and because I am persuaded that this duty has been as faithfully performed in the other towns and districts where the revival did not take place so soon as here, or where there is not even yet any extraordinary awakening, I am forced to the conclusion, that however indispensable a faithfully-preached gospel is to sustain and advance the Christian, and to prepare the minds of men for hastening to the Saviour, as soon as the Spirit shall reveal them to themselves and reveal Christ to them, it is not by the might nor the power of preaching, but by the mighty, sovereign, free Spirit of the Lord that a genuine revival of religion is commenced and carried on here or elsewhere. The Holy Spirit, therefore, has all the glory, and any man who would present himself as a "revivalist " would be pitied by all, praised by none. 550 TKEASURED MOMENTS. THE PEOMINENT CHAEACTEKISTICS OF THE EEYIYAL IN BALLYMENA. 1. Conviction of Sin. The soul is felt to be guilty and lost. Sin is seen to be loathsome and deadly, and it is generally felt to be an intolerable burthen, crushing the body and soul to hell. Horror unutterable overwhelms the heart, especially of those who feel that the devil is persuading or dragging them to per- dition. "With some this conviction has reference to particular easily-besetting sins with others, the greater number, to the general sinful state of the soul. In almost all the unregenerate it produces an intense fear, an awful agonising horror of eternal condemnation; whereas, in case of the slumbering, half-living, half-dead Christian, there is not this terror of final destruction, but a deep, and sinking, and sorrowing sense of great unworthi- ness, of the basest ingratitude, of infatuated unfaithfulness, to the wronged, the patient, the precious, the lovely Lord Jesus, the sweet Saviour. The subjects of conviction are of all ages, from five to seventy years ; but the great majority are young. Some are frequently convicted, though they do not return to their old ways, perhaps to intensify the work. Conviction and sinning alternate with some, and ultimately the convictions seem in the meantime to triumph. 2. The Physical Features. When the conviction as to its mental process reaches its crisis, the person, through weakness, is unable to sit or stand, and either kneels or lies down. A great number of convicts, in this town and neighbourhood, and now I believe in all directions in the north where the revival prevails, are "smitten down " as suddenly, and they fall as nerveless, and para- lysed, and powerless, as if killed instantly by a gun-shot. They fall with a deep groan some with a wild cry of horror the greater number with the intensely earnest plea, " Lord Jesus, "have mercy on my soul !" The whole frame trembles like an aspen leaf, an intolerable weight is felt upon the chest, a choaking sensation is experienced, and relief from this found only in the loud, urgent prayer for deliverance. Usually the bodily distress and mental anguish continue till some degree of confidence in Christ is found. Then the look, the tone, the gestures instantly change. The aspect of anguish and despair is exchanged for that of gratitude, and triumph, and adoration. The language, and APPENDIX. 551 the looks, and the terrible struggles, and loud desperate depre- cations, tell convincingly, as the parties themselves afterwards declare, that they are in deadly conflict with the old serpent. The perspiration rolls off the anguished victims ; their very hair is moistened. Some pass through this exhausting conflict several times ; others but once. There is no appetite for food ; many will eat nothing for a number of days. They do not sleep, though they may lie with their eyes shut. When partially re- covered, they cannot use the requisite quantity of food, and hence, I presume, the continued weakness, and incapacity, and consequent indisposition to work on the part of some, complained of by parents and employers. Surely, in the meantime, these should be satisfied with somewhat less than the usual task, in the assurance that wherever genuine conversion is the issue, children will be better children, and servants better servants. One person I have seen quite speechless about three hours on one occasion, and about six on another occasion. Yesterday, I saw a girl just recovered from being dumb exactly twenty-four hours. To-day, I visited a third party, who has been almost constantly dumb these last six weeks. There are great varieties in these physical afflictions. These I cannot now enumerate. To me many of them are quite mysterious. We may call them Hysteria, and know as little of their cause as before. Will strong over- whelming emotion account for any of the phenomena ? Do these emotions, whether gentle or confounding, result from a considera- tion of sin, issuing in the soul' s everlasting destruction, and of the long, unseen, and slighted Saviour his love, his charms, his power to save to the uttermost to save me ? And is this consideration produced by witnessing these agonies in others, by hearing their wild cries for mercy, their supernatural prayers ; by reading or hearing the awful and glorious Gospel truths, and especially by hearing a lately redeemed one tell tearfully, urgently, adoringly, what Jesus did for his own soul ! Or may not God, as in ordinary times, send the affliction of body to rouse to con- sideration, to fear, to prayer to Christ for pardon and life ? Cannot God work by means or without them ? Is it not the glorious number, not the nature, of the cases that puzzles ? Hitherto we have not thought it strange that affliction should be made the occasion by God of a wanderer's beginning to love God and to keep his law ; and why should not God, when he pleases, 552 TREASURED MOMENTS. as now, make it so to multitudes ? Besides there are many cases of quickening and revival without this physical prostration. Here they are as twenty to one ; and in other districts there is no "falling down," but the sighing, and weeping, and bodily agita- tion to be expected from very strong feeling. So it has been in the present American Revival, and so it was in the Connor district (a few miles from here) for about eighteen months. May not the free sovereign Spirit work as he pleases ? 0, Spirit of God, lead poor sinners to consideration, to conviction, to conversion, to Christ, by hysteria, by cholera, by fever, by w r ar, by famine, by sympathy, by the truth, read, or talked, or sung, or preached by prelate or by priest, by minister or by mechanic ; only let souls be saved and the Saviour Jesus glorified, and all 's well. 3. The Mental Features. There is not merely an illumination, so that sin is seen in its true colours, and truth in its beauty, and error in its deformity ; but there is an impulse given to the memory and imagination, elevating these powers inconceivably beyond their ordinary range. Sins long forgotten are remembered with the freshness of yesterday ; and religious instructions, and divine promises, and other passages of the "Word which may have been read or heard in youth, but which were never com- mitted, and which, whether in earlier or later years, could have been only half-spelled, half-read, the state of education being so utterly imperfect, are recollected and repeated with a vigour, and an accuracy, and a fluency, and a suitableness altogether astonish- ing. To quote one-tenth of these promising and laudatory pas- sages, and to employ them so suitably in prayer and in praise, on the day before this divine impulse, or two or three days after it fell upon them in its power, would, to the parties concerned, be an utter impossibility. Poor, uneducated, wretched creatures, who previously could scarcely tell who the Saviour of sinners is, or anything about the terms of salvation, or the gracious promises of the glorious gospel, seem to know Jesus as by intuition, and with an humble, holy, sweet, confiding familiarity they remind Mm of his character and promises. Oh, how credible and clear now the statement of Christ to his disciples " My Spirit shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you." Then the views which many of the converts have of Christ, their souls being enlightened and allured to him, how clear, how glorious ! in some cases quite as APPENDIX. 553 glorious as that enjoyed by the Apostle John (Eev. i. 13 16) ; and when thus brought by the Spirit " into the chambers of the king," and while " his eyes chain them in the galleries," in them, as it was with the apostle, there is almost no strength. A smile of celestial loveliness plays over the countenance, though perhaps naturally plain, and pervades it with a sweetness a charm far transcending the loveliest smile of the loveliest countenance on earth, in ordinary circumstances. The hands are often raised upward as if beckoning the Beloved to come, and then are they clasped energetically over the bosom as if embracing him to the very heart. The feeling at this moment, whether uttered or un- expressed, is " Oh my sweet Jesus," " My beloved is mine, and I am his," " Tell me, ye daughters of Jerusalem, is there any beloved like unto my Beloved ? " Some hymn over in sweet tones a favourite piece of sacred song, quite correctly, both as to matter and music. Others naturally of a poetical cast, or being very familiar with poetry, versify extemporaneously in their visions. Such impromptu productions as I have witnessed had little of poetry, but very much of the love of Christ and of the parties' admiration for some favourite Christians. A very remarkable physical feature, wondrously displayed by some, especially females, when enjoying these celestial scenes and society, is, that every movement, every gesture of the person, the countenance, the head, the hands, is the very perfection of gracefulness, though the party be utterly uneducated, and naturally most uucouth and awkward. How is this ? Oh, the transforming power there is in seeing Jesus as he is ! Verily, " it doth not appear what we shall be," how majestic in mind, how seraphic in heart, how beau- tiful in body ! Yes, the mind emancipated shall be like his, the resurrection body shall be conformed to his glorious body ! These enjoyments are occasionally interrupted, apparently by some hostile agency. Then the countenance wears an angry aspect; the hands are energetically moved, as if to motion the intruder away ; and these or such words are uttered, " No, I won't / won't go with you away, away!" In some cases the conflict with the enemy is fearful agonizing to both mind and body ; and when deliverance is felt, the triumph is ecstatic. The minds of some three poor creatures have given way, whether from predisposition, or fright, or the long-continued apprehension of hell without any feeling or hope of deliverance, or whether from injudicious treat- 554 TREASURED MOMENTS. ment, or cruel restraint from the society and sympathy of kindred spirits, or from want of food and sleep, or from several of these causes combining, I am unable to determine. The first of these is now quite well and spiritually happy; the second is in the asylum, slowly improving ; the third died. I visited the second of these cases, and amid all her frenzy and wild maniac wanderings at intervals, she held firm by Christ. Some one said to her that I had come to see her. She wildly, yet, perhaps, wisely, replied, " Mr. Moore, Mr. Moore ! I don't want him. Let him go to them that sent for him. He can do me no good. Jesus Christ alone can hold me." She thought she was pulled out of " tlie horrible pit," as she called it ; that she was still on the very edge of it, held out of it only by the hand of Jesus, and her appre- hension was that he would let her go ! One person, rather advanced in years, quite uneducated, suffered during a whole night bodily prostration and pain, and felt darkness over her mind. In the morning she was impressed that she was a sinner, and was anxious about her soul, but knew nothing whatever, or, at least, could tell nothing, about the Saviour. She seemed to be made ready for apostolic instructions. 4. Jesus is greatly glorified. By all who have found a satis- factory peace in Christ he is dearly loved ; by some intensely. For so far, their state seems to be almost a continuous rapture. I saw a mother on her knees, her eyes raised heavenward, her hands energetically clasped. She often smiled, but for perhaps an hour she did not speak. One of her children, some two years old, was injudiciously allowed to come into the apartment. On seeing its mother it raised a wild affrighted crying, such as would pierce and rouse the sympathy of any woman, especially a mother's. Her eye never twinkled, nor did a muscle of her face move. She remained stationary, statue-like, absorbed in the object of her adoration. Yes, so it must be. Oblivion's wave must swell over the mind of the redeemed the glorified parent, sweeping thence all remembrance of the child once dearly loved, now irremediably lost ; or there must be such a perfect sympathy with the heart of the holy Jesus, as to necessitate a cordial hatred to all that's hostile and hurtful to him ; or, as in this case, the soul must be so absorbed in contemplating, adoring the Eedeemer, that no distraction of thought or feeling to an alien object will be possible. No matter what the creed or character Romanist, APPENDIX. 555 Arian, Infidel the first cry of the deeply convinced soul is " Lord Jesus, have mercy upon my soul." I have heard of but one Komanist, out of many converted, who, while appealing ex- clusively in his distress to Jesus, thought, when he became quieted a little, that "the Virgin" might "have given him some help, had he minded to ask her." Under the Spirit's overwhelming influence his prayer was all right ; when that influence began to abate, old error began to show itself. He now takes the Bible for his guide. By all who profess to be converts Christ is crowned Lord of all. They sing with peculiar zest " I'm not ashamed to own my Lord." and " To him that loved the souls of men And washed us in his blood," &c. And they apply to him the most endearing epithets " dear, dear Lord Jesus ! O sweet, sweet Saviour ! beloved, adored Eedeemer!" 5. The converts feel and manifest intense love for each other. In fact they cannot be happy out of each other's society. Hence, for the first week or two, they were to be found gathered into particular houses, night and day, in companies, singing and pray- isg ; and at public meetings, if possible, they will be together. They don't care very much for any one, though a Christian, who has not their towering love and zeal ; but any person whom they consider to be one of themselves, " a brother " or " a sister," as they say, they will receive with open arm; and the discriminating powers of the more intelligent of them are very considerable. I have heard some of the finer spirits tenderly plead with the sus- picious in behalf of the suspected ones. I have seen Christian mothers embracing their lately converted sons, sisters their brothers, companions their old associates in sin, now in Christ, with the deepest intensity of holy love. It was indeed greeting with an holy and hearty kiss. Getting out of their agony or their sorrow, and meeting, all one in Christ Jesus, how " they do love one another"! 6. A deep anxiety a tender compassion for the unconverted the perishing. Christ wept over the doomed Jerusalem : so do these youthful Christians, in the warm overflowing of their first love, tearfully plead with, and for, sinners to come to Christ ; and when some poor, lost, blinded one has his eyes opened by the 556 TREASURED MOMENTS. Spirit to see himself that horrible sight, a guilty, polluted soul, and when, in consternation, he cries for mercy, joy pervades their countenances as they look at each other and begin to plead for the pardon, acceptance, and peace of the smitten one : and when that peace seems to be secured, the triumphant congratulation is, " Oh, we have got another brother," or " another sister," as the case may be. Such of the converts as cannot get attending meetings for prayer, praise, and religious intercourse, are not generally so strong in their faith, or so warm in their love and zeal ; so that to meet and speak often one to another is not only their delight, but almost a necessity of their new nature. I have frequently observed that immediately on securing, as they feel, safety in the Saviour for themselves, and, in their deep and glowing gratitude, having ascribed to Him all the glory of their deliverance, they begin, with overflowing compassion and intense urgency, to plead with Jesus for poor sinners, that they too may come and enjoy salvation, and glorify Christ. More than once I have been necessitated to cause young persons to be carried out of public meetings to prevent utter confusion. From silent prayer on their knees in the pews they would rise, and, standing on the seats, the tears profusely flowing from their eyes, with all the anxiety of a life-aud- death struggle, they would call upon sinners to come to Jesus, and upon Grod's Holy Spirit to bring them to Jesus. This compassion for sinners, or for the glory of Christ in their salvation, cannot be controlled. "While the impulse remains, you must yield to it, however timid and unobtrusive. You may go to the door of the party with whom you feel impelled to plead or pray, and raise the knocker, and, through fear or shame, hesitate and noiselessly let it down and walk stealthily away, as if evil had been designed. Ah ! it won't do. You feel that you are caring more for self accursed self than for the Saviour or for your neighbour's immortal soul, and back you must go, and in you must go, and unbosom yourself you must of the loving Saviour's burning message to that precious perishing soul. If still cold, and blind, and deaf, and untouched by the Divine Spirit, your friend may pity your " frenzy," and consider you a monomaniac ; if the Spirit of life breathe on his soul, your visit will be the occasion of his ultimately turning to the Lord, who will multiply to pardon. Oh, surely this is the baptism of the Holy Spirit: this is "the Power from on high" for which the apostles were, by Christ's special direction, to wait in Jerusalem : APPENDIX. 557 this is to be " filled with the Holy Ghost and with faith." "With this endowment, no marvel that the apostles were what they were, and that they and their converts to Christ were a courageous, " a conquering band." "Were the Church now ministers and members baptized with the baptism "filled with the Holy Ghost," how soon would the nations all know God's saving grace. The very love of God for sinners, which overflowed in the gift of his own Son, is, in this quickening and reviving work of the Holy Spirit, poured down into the hearts of the awakened and enlight- ened ones ; so that they, according to the degree of grace given, feel for perishing souls as God did, as the gentle, gracious, loving, weeping, bleeding, dying, interceding Jesus feels. 7. Great delight in the Word of God; and on the part of those who cannot read, a great anxiety to learn. A number of those convicted cannot read any, and not a few read but very im- perfectly. A girl, some sixteen years of age, was awakened by the Spirit through the Gospel preached in the streets of our town. She was the only remaining child of her mother. Soon after her conversion to Christ, consumption marked her as its prey. She was three months confined to bed before she died ; and during that time she taught her awakened, anxious mother to read the Bible. That poor, forsaken woman invited me into her room some time after her daughter's death, to let me hear how she could read, and to tell me of her comfort and confidence in Jesus and his precious Gospel. In Ballymena, at present, in passing some doors, you might observe persons varying in age from five to sixty years, labouring at their spelling-books ; others listening to some neighbour reading for them the Book of God ; and in the evening, after the work of the day is over, some kind young Christian converts anxiously employed in teaching these poor unlettered persons to read. The private and public classes for training these uneducated parties are so far very well attended. To-day I was informed of a lad who was severely beaten by his parents Eomanists for going to meetings for prayer and Gospel instruction, contrary to the priest's orders. He could not read himself, and, being thus restrained from desired information, and the awakened society which he loved, he purchased a Testament, gave it to an aged neighbour who can read, and he attends to hear the glad tidings from heaven read for him, on every available opportunity. (0 God, stir up the slaves of Koine to assert their 558 TREASURED MOMENTS. right to possess and search and believe " The Holy Scriptures ! ") A recent genuine convert almost always carries the Bible, whether in the house or by the way, and will even keep it under the pillow at night. Almost every person now at prayer-meeting, or at public worship in the church, or in the field, or in the street, has his Bible or Testament, and turns eagerly to the passages referred to by the speaker. A Eomanist who had lately got a Bible, on being convicted, threw the Bible into the fire, presuming that for reading it the distress had fallen on her. But instead of pacifying the mind, this only increased the agony, and no rest was found till a Bible and a believer directed her to that Almighty Saviour whom the Bible alone reveals. It is usual, I understand, for the priest to send for any member of his flock that he has heard of as being convicted. One such, a few days ago, not only convicted of sin, but converted to an intense love for the Bible, and, I trust; for its Divine Author, obeyed the sacerdotal summons. She brought the loved Bible ija her hand. His reverence came to the door and asked, "What's this you've got?" "It's my Bible, sir," said the girl. "Ay, and you can read, then?" "I can, blessed be God!" Observing the young creature's firmness and fervency, and having brought a neighbour with her for protection, he ordered her to be gone, handing her roughly out of the door. In one congregational Sabbath-school in town, the number of teachers and scholars is doubled during the past few Sabbaths ; and all others in town and country are greatly increased. On two evenings of the week, teachers attend to give instruction to parties who cannot read, and to train others to read more perfectly ; and in each of the poorer streets one or more classes are formed, chiefly for adults who could not make it convenient to attend a public class. 8. Religious services, public and private, are more Jiiglily appre- ciated and more largely attended. The first person I had the pleasure of meeting with, as a fruit of this Eevival, was a young female from the C district. Some twelve months ago, she came to the manse door while I was at breakfast. On asking her errand, she inquired if family worship were over, and, if not, whether she could be allowed to join in it. The request seemed most extraordinary from a person a perfect stranger to me. In fact, I apprehended mental aberration. Of course I invited her to remain. After worship, I conversed with her for nearly an APPENDIX. 559 hour, and was rejoiced to find my suspicions quite groundless, and that she was very intelligent in gospel doctrines, and tear- fully, and tenderly, and joyously in earnest in religious matters. "When parting, I asked her how it was that she came here so early in the morning (her home is some four miles distant) with such an object. Her reply was strange to me at the time ; but I can now fully understand and appreciate it. In this town at present, at public worship on Sabbath, the churches are thronged pews, alleys, and vestibules. The " open-air services," whether in town or country, on any evening of the week, are attended by thousands ; and these services, though so numerous, are often not far distant from each other. Our congregational weekly prayer- meeting was attended by some fifty persons ordinarily. During the three months past, whether held four times or seven times a Week, it is attended by more than twenty times that number. The difficulty used to be to get the people into the church, but the difficulty now is to get them out of it. One night and morning we had three services. The first of these was three hours and a half. I pronounced the benediction, intending to dismiss the people ; but no, they kept possession, only a few left. Having attended for some time to a number of weak and anxious persons, presuming that a third attempt might be successful, we engaged in prayer for a poor girl, who seemed to us to be dread- fully tormented ; and, oh ! the deep and universal fervour of that prayer ; all prayed very many wept ; and, having sung to a plaintive air a portion of a prayer-psalm, for the last time that morning between one and two o'clock I pronounced the bene- diction, and left; many remained. Verily, praise waiteth for God in Zion. Prayer-meetings are very numerous in town and country, and are well attended. Within the bounds of the Connor congregation, I am informed that there are one hundred prayer- meetings every week. A few months ago, the bellowing of anger, and cursing, and blasphemy resounded along the roads from parties returning from the markets, and especially on Saturday night, or rather on Sabbath morning. Now, the sweet service of sacred song is heard floating on the night air, from persons return- ing home from the prayer-meetings. One day last week, I addressed three congregations in the country. They varied from fifty to one hundred and fifty persons each. The previous week I visited one day eight families, scattered over a country district about a 560 TREASUEED MOMENTS. mile in length. Every available member of these followed me from house to house, and the labourers in the surrounding fields joined the band. I conducted four or five services. v At the last, near a cluster of houses in a lovely green, surrounded with beau- tiful trees, and bounded by a soft flowing river, were congregated some two hundred souls. Just as the service closed, a poor girl came in breathless haste, greatly agitated. She could scarcely speak. I ascertained that she had been a Eomanist, was con- victed, was absent at the beginning of our worship, was sent for, but she arrived too late, greatly, as it seemed, to her disappoint- ment. Having directed her timid soul to the One Mediator, who alone can plead the sinner's cause, and who alone can pardon the sinner's sin, whose blood cleanseth from all sin, we again knelt on nature's green velvet, and earnestly prayed, in behalf of this weak one, that the Great High Priest may undertake for her and perfect her emancipation from ecclesiastical and Satanic slavery. What a happy day ! Oh ! what a pleasure, what a privilege, to minister to " a willing people " ! Holy Spirit, keep them willing ! 9. On the part of real converts an intense loathing of sin. How great the change, and how sudden ! The person who, last week, who but yesterday, was wallowing in the mire, cherishing, em- bracing to his very heart, sin his idol adored his all drinking in iniquity, as the thirsting man in the burning desert does the living, cooling draught to-day sensitively shrinking with intense aversion from the smallest sin, recoila from it with as great horror as he lately did from the terrors of hell ! How true, in the meantime, that old things have passed away, and all has become new ! I have seen persons, again and again, thrown into distress, almost as great as in their first conviction, by the dis- covery of some sin committed by themselves, and even by witness- ing great weakness in others ; and, for hours, they" will remain in great weakness of body, and in bitter weeping, not through fear of condemnation, but for the injury, the wrong done, the pain given to Jesus, the holy, the tender, the sensitive One the beloved, the adored of their souls. They knew that Jesus would forgive them, but they cannot forgive themselves. Were this holy sensibility to remain in its original power, to the party pos- sessing it, life in this world of sin and sinners, if tolerable, would be an unceasing crucifixion. When Lot's spirit was daily vexed by the foul conversation of his chosen companions, what would be APPENDIX. 561 the torture, the agony, of such a pure spirit in Lot's situation ? To such a state does the Psalmist seem to have approached, when his^tears fast and copiously flowed on seeing hia Father's lovely law violated. No marvel that that " Holy thing " that " Holy One "God's " Holy Child Jesus," should be " a Man of Sorrows " all his life in this world ! How natural the infinite aversion, the unutterable horror, the overwhelming agony of his body and soul in dread Gethsemane, when the Father " laid our iniquities before him," handing to him " the cup " bitter, poisoned, deep, wide, overflowing, infinitely loathsome to his infinitely pure spirit ! Shall his redeemed be one day like him, seeing him as he is ? Whosoever hath this hope, purifieth him- self even as he is pure. 10. A forgiving spirit. The injunction, " Love your enemies," is actually and heartily obeyed, and injuries fully and freely for- given, by persons who feel their own countless, fearful faults for- given by God. There lies a young strong man, who feels that Jesus has become the bearer of his sinking burthen of sin. He pays no attention to family or friends around, him ; but as soon as his enemy enters, he rises and rushes to embrace him in cordial, unconditional reconciliation. The offences are not mentioned, nor even remembered, except to be regretted. It is mutual ; for the enemy enters because his enmity, too, had been slain by the blood of the Crucified. With what power can the plea now be presented in prayer, " As we forgive them who trespass against us." What a chilling, crushing influence it has upon the heart of the recent convert, in the fresh overflowings of his first love, to meet with a cold repulse to his warm overtures for friendship and peace. One whose offers of amity were rejected, and whose old opponents continue to say and to do unkind things, said to me lately, " I used to give word for word, and blow for blow, and to complain to my neighbours ; but now, thanks be to God, I can, restrain myself " (no easy task a few weeks since) ; " and I go and lay it all before my 'Saviour, and he gives me peace." Here, and in many districts throughout Ulster, on the 12th July, the Orangemen in thousands assembled for public worship, and were not interfered with by their old opponents, the Eomanists. Instead of banners, they carried their Bibles; and instead of party tunes, they sung the sweet songs of Zion. A "brother," who had found the "Elder Brother," being asked, 2 N 562 TREASURED MOMENTS. " Would you stone a Eomanist to-day ?" replied, " No ; I would embrace him." 11. The Poiver of Prayer. Some for a time cannot pray. Dark- ness, and despair, and horror, close down upon them, and their agony cannot be conceived. " I'm lost ! I'm lost ! Oh, I cannot pray ! I resisted Him ! I wouldn't come ! Oh, I'm lost, lost ! " When prayer is attained to " God be merciful to me, a sinner ! " it is great relief, though the burthen of sin still crushes. Fervency intense fervency is a characteristic of the. prayer both of the convict and of the convert. The struggle the life- and-death struggle, with the former, is to be rescued from the abyss of eternal anguish and despair from the fangs and fury of the old serpent ; and the effort of the other, also deeply fervent, though sweet and filial, is to express abhorrence of loathed sin, and of the detested and dreaded devil ; and gratitude and adoration to that beloved and almighty Jesus, who has rescued the poor, unworthy, helpless soul from " the deep pit." How unreserved the confession, no matter who hears. The supplicant sees Jesus only, and deals only with him. And how humble! What a very worm the poor weeping penitent feels before the throne of Majesty and of Mercy ! Oh, what an offering, that humble, broken, contrite heart ! It is, I believe, this inconceivable fer- vency in prayer, which I may call " power of prayer," which thaws the icy heart, which breaks up the motive-proof searedness of conscience, which dispels the doubts, and annihilates the scep- ticism and the indifference of many a spectator and mocker, and sends him home hurriedly with a pale face and a palsied heart, to lie prostrate in conviction, and penitence, and prayer. Fluency is characteristic of the prayers of not a few. The supplications of some are condensed, and pithy, and pointed very " matter-of-fact." To those of others principally females belong a fluency, a sweet reverential familiarity, a poetry, a suitableness, a sublimity, altogether inconceivable by parties who have not heard them. I have sat confounded, humbled to the dust, in the presence of these supplicants. In fact, the produc- tions are quite beyond the powers of the human mind, whether renewed or unrenewed, in its ordinary state ; and the parties them- selves are capable of such supplications only once, or perhaps on a few occasions, if they be thrown back into fearful convictions APPENDIX. 563 and brought up to glorious triumphs. "When weeks or months have passed away, and these persons have sat down into quiet, steady confidence in Christ, their prayers are not very remarkable. Frequency in prayer is another mark of the genuine convert, as was to be expected. Some of them literally " pray always ;" in the house and by the way, in solitude and in society. Some awake during the night in tears and in urgent prayer. To such an extent does this go, and so intent are they, generally, upon some desired object, that when a common prayer is being presented, they will be pleading, absorbed in earnestness for some person or thing. Generally, when public prayer is offered, if the person officiating be manifestly very fervent, the hum of plaintive pleading by the company of recent converts is heard over all the house; and though fervency of feeling, perhaps for some poor desponding soul that feels lost, may occasionally be expressed too loudly for the taste of some ; to others, knowing that there is no pretence, that soft hum of supplicating souls has a heavenly charm. The convert's prayer, blessed be God, is frequently the prayer of faith. I have already mentioned cases of special prayer for particular persons being answered in their conversion. Five weeks since, two congregational prayer-meetings assembled on a Saturday evening, to engage in devotional exercises as a " pre- paration for the Sabbath." Earnest prayer was offered for the blessed agency of the Spirit to accompany the services of the sanctuary on the following day. The members of one of these prayer-meetings had such assurance that their prayers would be answered, that they said to several persons, and among others, to the officiating minister when he was walking down to the church on Sabbath morning, they were sure that the Spirit would do a great VOOfk among them that day. The usual public services were proceeded with, but in great weakness ; for the minister was quite exhausted unable to speak vigorously. The subject was, " Quench not the Spirit" About the middle of the sermon, after mentioning parties who fear, and would try to escape, the opera- tions of the Spirit, the preacher, with united hands and uplifted eyes, said tenderly, "Lord Jesus, forgive them!" He stood in that attitude, and in perfect silence, for perhaps a minute, when the death-like stillness of the church was broken by heavy sighs and loud earnest cries for mercy in all directions through the 2 N 2 564 TREASURED MOMENTS. house. The audible supplicants were removed and attended to. - ILL a few minutes the remaining congregation were seated again, more than a-half of them in tears, and some, evidently, with great, difficulty restraining themselves from pleading aloud for mercy. The services were quietly proceeded with, there being no inter- . ruption till the close, but by the breaking forth of one other over-filled heart, that could hold no longer. During the evening of the day, in their homes and prayer-meetings, many more were overwhelmed with a sense of sin. Some represent following speakers, and the consequent necessary excitement and sympathy, as producing these violent uncontrollable convictions and physical prostrations. In the case mentioned, this theory is utterly at fault ; for there was not only no bellowing, but not even a capacity for it ; nor was there any attempt at it : and the simul- taueousness of the outcry from so many upsets the idea of sympathy as the cause. And I may add, that the minds of the most nervous throughout the congregation generally could not have been operated upon by the expectation of such a scene ; for this, I understand, was the first instance of physical prostration and of loud screaming for pardon that had occurred in that church or neighbourhood, though the Eevival had prevailed there extensively for many months previously. No marvel that these supplicants can present believing prayer. However some may suspect that the enemy has much to do with the physical phases of this movement, all men of all parties the friendly, the hostile, and the indifferent are silent in wonder and admiration at the prayers the fervent, fluent, suitable, sublime, heavenly prayers presented by men and women, by boys and girls, by children, by moral and immoral, by educated and uneducated, under some influence which mere man cannot understand, or will not acknow- ledge. Of the hundreds of petitions which I have heard presented by these anxious souls, I never heard an unscriptural one but once, by a little boy in the exuberance of his compassion for others. " O Christ! come to me! " prayed a little girl, seven or eight years old. " O Christ, come to me ! an' when ye dae come (you do come) dinna lea' me (do not leave me), but aye stay wi' me ! " This, with the usual accompaniments clasped hands, streaming eyes turned upwards, sobs, cries, and agonized frame. "O Christ!" pleaded a boy eleven years old; " O Christ, thou didst wear the crown of thorns for me ! Oh ! oh ! I could wear APPENDIX. 56o them for tbee ! Oh, I hate to go back to my old companions, my old ways. I care not for anything. Oh, what care I for any- thing but for thee ! If it is thy will, take me now home to thyself! Oh! oh ! why do they not spit*on me! Oh! oh! they sput (spat) on thee, and thou never sinned ! Oh ! it was for me, for me for my sins. Oh ! take my heart and turn it inside out ; clean the dirty, nasty filth out of it, and make it pure, pure. Oh! oh! dear Saviour !"&c. "Oh, Jesus! give me but one crumb, one crumb ; one, one, one only of thy bread ! One drop, one drop, one, one, one drop of the water of life ! " Repeated again and again. 12. Lay Agency has been extensively blessed in promoting the present Kevival. In former awakenings in these countries, and in America, ministers were the prominent agents. Edwards, and "Wesley, and Whitfield, and Livingstone, and Welsh, and Finney, and M'Cheyne, and Burns, all regular preachers. But some, even of these, were repudiated by their own ecclesiastical authori- ties for their irregularity ; i.e., for speaking in downright earnest, and in any place, and at any time, to multitudes of perishing, anxious, or careless sotds. So that, if the services of mere laymen whether educated or uneducated, whether rich or poor be looked down upon by the sticklers for sacerdotalism in every church, we need not wonder as if some strange thing had hap- pened. These laymen, from the rich aristocrat to the poor stone- breaker, are generally members of the church in full communion. Were the members of the Church at Jerusalem justified, when driven from their homes by persecution, in " preaching the Gos- pel "i.e., in evangelising " everywhere throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria " ? If so, may not the Holy Spirit constrain men now, by the love of Christ, without persecution, to go abroad and do the very same thing ? How often do the apostles urge the members of the Church to "exhort one another." In the meantime, should not "every man teach his brother" ? Our con- verts hold prayer-meetings, deliver public addresses in churches, school-houses, private houses, streets of towns, and in the open fields. Many of them are very popular with the people, especially of their own rank. I have heard from one to three of them, now almost every evening for a month past ; and only as to two points, and these not fundamental, had I to offer a word of explanation during all that time. I should add, however, that nearly all the 566 TREASURED MOMENTS. parties I have heard seemed masters of " The Shorter Catechism." In my own church, ministers both of the Establishment and the Assembly occupied the same platform with those evangelists. "Whether ministers will* be satisfied or displeased, Grod has very abundantly acknowledged those men ; and not a fe\v~of them, till very lately, were wild and godless. Let the clergy and members of every genuine church solemnly inquire, Why is it that God has called such labourers to his harvest, and so abundantly pros- pered them ? Would he thus gently rebuke the exclusiveness of the " clergy," and the do-nothingism of the people of the Church ? May the Spirit teach both parties the lesson which Divine wisdom would have us to learn ! May the Spirit of Christ preserve these young men in humility and prayerfulness, and in fidelity to the truth ! Would that all the Lord's people were prophets ! If the Spirit of Power continue to work as in America and here, and as, it appears, he is beginning to work in France and in some of the Northern Kingdoms of Europe, what will be done for the ministerial supply of the home and foreign field? Will the members of the Church all rise and do their duty, or will the Church, while still requiring of some, as now, the highest educa- tional qualifications, sanction as evangelists at home and abroad, others but partially educated, whose Christian devotedness and burning zeal, and aptness to teach the way of salvation to the now neglected and careless multitudes, must be acknowledged ? Does not Methodism provide agents for the spheres which they are destined to occupy ? Does not Borne provide her popes, and cardinals, and archbishops for the highest ranks of her adherents ; bishops, and vicars, and parish priests for the middle ranks ; and monks and nuns innumerable for her Lazzaroni ? If the Holy Spirit only intensify his work in the Church, then will the Church have mind, and heart, and hand, to provide for the increasing wants, however widely he may extend his converting work. 13. The present awakening is maligned and bitterly resisted by Antichrist. The opponents of Christ and of the Holy Spirit feel that their craft is in danger. Placards, addressed to those " afflicted with nervous diseases," variegate the walls of our town, evidently designed to leave the ^impression that the whole affair is a purely physical distemper. These seem to be periodically renewed, while one which was "CONVICTION CONVULSIONS EPILEPSY IN- SANITY ! " served its day, and disappeared. "Holy water," I am APPENDIX. -">67 informed, is sold at a high figure, and is extensively used for pre- vention and cure ; and also whisky and laudanum. Some fami- lies, some of whose members were convicted, have removed out of the neighbourhood of convicts. By a Eomanist I am told of one priest in this neighbourhood, who acknowledges that all the members of his flock who have been affected by the Revival spirit have ceased to have any intercourse with him, and he very judiciously does not angrily and tyrannically interfere, but says, " If it is not of God, it will soon come to nothing." One of my young friends was urging a Eoman Catholic convict in great distress to pray to God for mercy through Christ. Her mother rushed forward, in great anger, to push him away, saying, "No, she won't pray to God." She was brought to the priest next morning. Whether the priest or the Spirit will ultimately suc- ceed, God knoweth. Oh may the Holy Spirit make them both "priests "unto God! This opposition is quite natural; for, so far as I have observed and heard, this Eevival instantly and utterly upsets every system antagonistic to the " Atonement," Christ's supreme Deity, the existence and power of the Holy Spirit, and the exclusive mediatorship and intercession and par- doning power of the Lord Jesus Christ. With the poor con- victed soul, salvation by morality or by mere mercy is out of the question ; and to trust to priest or preacher, to saint or angel, to any being on earth or in heaven, but to " Sweet Jesus " " The Bleeding Lamb" is never dreamed of. The proposal would be repudiated with abhorrence and agony. Some oppo- nents have acknowledged to me that if the fruits appear to be good and genuine two years hence, their system must be renounced as false. 14. The doctrine of sovereign, invincible grace is in this move- ment practically demonstrated. There is a youth who says that he " served the devil just as well as he could wish, till last week." There ia another who urged the overseer to have the engines stopped, and all the men assembled for ten minutes to hear how he could blaspheme the name of Jesus. Why are those two taken by the Spirit and made valiant for Christ, while many of their exemplary, moral, though godless fellow-workmen are left ? Why has the Spirit, in his saving power, entered into this house, and passed over that ? Why has he turned the child, and let the parent go on ? Why is that athletic man, of proud contemptuous 568 TREASURED MOMENTS. bearing, sneering at the whole affair as fanaticism, compelled, on his way home from the prayer-meeting, to go down on his knees on the street to plead for pardoning mercy; and his amiable delicate neighbour, not moved or refreshed in the least, though he says he is " wishing for it " ? How is it that that man, who alter- nately prays and blasphemes on his way home from market, at one time constrained to pray, at another resisting the impulse with all the violence of an unsubdued, blaspheming bacchanalian, is so acquiescing, so yielding to the Spirit when he awakes the next morning ? Did Tie will in his sleep, and in the independent exer- cise of his own power, to receive Christ, or did the Holy Spirit make him willing ? did he work in him to will of his own good pleasure, so that he awoke in sweet submission and tearful prayer ? Ask that weeping, rejoicing, grateful one, who inclined and enabled him, who made him willing to embrace Jesus as his only Saviour, and you, will find the ready and hearty response, " Oh, not unto my mind, my heart, my will, but the sovereign, gracious, Almighty Spirit of God alone be all the glory!" " Not by my own will, my own might or power, but by the Spirit of sovereign, invincible grace, I am what I am." 15. The Results are good. To the inquirers as to the character of the Eevival here, from various parts of Ireland and Scotland, to whom, on the arrival of their favours, I had no time to respond, and to all others who are still doubtingly putting the question, " Is this the work of the Spirit of God, or look we for some other?" I answer by telling them, through this little pamphlet, a few, and necessarily but a very few, of the things which I have seen, and heard, and felt; " how that the (morally) blind see, the lame walk, the impure are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead live, and to the poor " the physically, intellectually, and spiritually poor, in thousands, every day in the week "the Gospel is preached." The ignorant, whether young or old, are docile ; they are learning to read, that they may read God's book for them- selves ; the boisterous and quarrelsome have become calm and peaceful; enemies love one another ; the mouths that bellowed forth cursing and blasphemy now praise and bless God's holy name ; the Sabbath -breaker remembers and keeps holy the Lord's-day ; the impure have abandoned their pollutions ; the drunkard is sober, notwithstanding fiendish temptations from old acquaintances, and, perhaps, poor fellow, from within also. Some publicans APPENDIX. 569 have abandoned their, business ; Sabbath-schools, prayer- meetings, and houses of worship, are overcrowded ; many ministers and members of the Church, many parents and Sabbath-school teachers, are revived greatly refreshed more loving, earnest, and diligent ; good books and tracts are in great demand ; many, very many, pray, who were never known to do so before ; gene- rosity to the cause of Christ is on the increase ; the victims of the apostacy are alarmed ; Eomanists and Unitarians have been turned to the Bible as the only guide, and to Jesus as the only and Divine Saviour ; the godless multitude are awed into solemnity ; the Lord Jesus is greatly glorified. " And blessed is he whoso- ever shall not be offended in Christ." We have here some of the finest specimens of the Christian, by this extraordinary influence of the Spirit, that I ever met with in my life ; and I have no more apprehension of them proving faithless to their loved Lord and Master, than I have that I will do so myself. The changed lives of thousands in this town, and in the neighbour- ing towns and districts, testify to the truthfulness of the repre- sentation now given, as to the results of this Eevival. Very philo- sophical, and learned, and " decent and in order " Christians ascribe many of the results mentioned to excitement, nervous- ness, and " epidemic." The Jews ascribed Christ's works to Beelzebub ; and, alas ! there are those now, who, ignoring the all- sufficiency of Christ, and the existence and the power of the Holy Ghost, proclaim the Spirit's work to be " a work of the devil.'" Every honest inquirer after truth would examine before he de- cides ; and he would form his opinion upon the whole, not a part, of the available evidence. One who had witnessed much, and felt a little, of the salutary change, returning lately from an altar lecture, in which his Satanic majesty got all the credit of " the Eevival" and its results, said to his companions, " Well, friends, all I have to say is, if the divil has done all this, there must be a XEW DIVIL ; for I'm very sure the ouV one wouldnUt do it at all, at all." No doubt there are counterfeit coins closely resembling the genuine ; and it may turn out that the devil may succeed in producing plausible counterfeits of the true Christian. These may themselves be deceived, and they may deceive others. By "wear and tear" the pure, genuine metal of the one is burnished brighter, the base alloy of the other exposed to the view pf all. In my opinion, no objection can hence be taken 570 TREASURED MOMENTS. against the Revival as to its results that does not apply to the admission of professors to the Lord's table. The question with the cold or the clever objector, and with each of us, should be, " Am I a real, living, loving, laborious child of God, or am I a mere counterfeit 'Christian'?" How many, alas! of the members and ministers of every church have deceived them- selves and others ! Let the names be kept on record of one thousand persons admitted this season to the Communion by any of the Protestant Churches ; and let the names of one thousand persons confirmed this season by any bishop of Home be kept on record ; and let these two thousand persons be compared this day seven years, as to their Christian status and usefulness, with an equal number of those recognised by the Church here as intelligent converts, by the present out- pouring of the Spirit; and I fear not that the " Irish Revival" will suffer by the comparison. Oh, blessed be God, it is not the nature of the blessing granted, but the abundance of it, that has perplexed the narrow and shrivelled souls of some of God's people at a distance from the influence, whose little hearts are sick almost to death by even their little hopes being so long deferred, and the hopes of others being so far exceeded. True, indeed, while the moral results have generally been so good and great, there are in some cases and districts physical pre- cursors and physical and mental concomitants and results, the absence of which we would have preferred. But they have come in the providence of God, and we must therefore hope that He wall overrule them for ultimate good. By terrible things does He occasionally answer prayer. That fearful bodily prostration, which in some precedes consideration, and in others the intelligent marks the crisis reached after a length- ened and serious consideration of sin and of eternal realities those frequent agonies, or ecstacies, and swoons, which occur to a few, and greatly diminish their bodily strength, their ability for work, and to sustain themselves and their depend- ents ; the dumbness, and deafness, and blindness, which of late have affected a few some for hours, some for days, and some for weeks ; these physical affections or afflictions we would rather not witness, though the inspiring Spirit, for some pur- pose, has revealed to us that Saul and John, in very different circumstances, were struck down to the ground, and that APPENDIX. 571 Ezekicl, Daniel, and Zacharias were struck dumb. Then again the visions endured, and enjoyed, by a few by some, of hell's . awful scenery, and society, and sufferings ; by others, of hea- ven's glittering glories saints in light, and songs of love ; the prediction by a very few of the precise time when they will lose the power of speech or of hearing, and the accomplish- ment of this prediction almost at the very minute foretold ; and this in some cases where, from the character and circumstances of the party, there could be no conceivable motive for pretence, and in which the clock was altered to lead the afflicted one astray if possible : these phenomena puzzle ; and because we cannot, on our usual principles, explain them, and lest on their account the whole should be slighted or blasphemed by any, we would rather they had not appeared. A strange feature in this affair is that the afflicted ones consider their privation a favour, believing it to come directly from God ; and some of them are even foolish enough to refuse all medical treatment. To the question, How do you know when you will lose and when regain your speech ? some reply, " I don't know how ;" some, " He told me ;" some, "It was whispered to me;" and some, being speechless at the time, will look and point up, smiling, and then put their hand upon their breast. These and all other afflictions, I believe, come either directly or indirectly from the hand of God ; and that they are sent either for the sake of the victim or his neighbours. May we humbly peruse this chapter in the book of Providence, and profit by it. These mysterious predictions and their accomplishment, however they may be understood by metaphysicians and theolo- gians, even supposing them possible by the power of imagination, are more than counterbalanced, in my opinion, by the prayers of some of those poor afflicted, sweetly acquiescing ones, and the evident and instant answer to their prayers. A retiring, truthful, trustworthy, pious person, converted to Christ, as I believe, some six weeks ago, became deaf and blind for nearly two days. During the morning of the second day, she had often expressed her desire that she might be allowed to hear me pray, if I should visit her. "When I went in, she could not hear the loudest speaking. I took her by the hand ; she knew me. She mildly and fervently prayed, " Lord Jesus, if it be thy blessed will, grant that I may hear for a few minutes, while prayer is pre- sented. Oh! do, for thine own name sake!" Before I was .572 TREASURED MOMENTS. . engaged in prayer more than one minute, she became agitated, .put her hand up to her ear, then lay as still as death. When I had .finished, I said, "Well, did you hear 2" "Oh yes, quite well !" was the reply. I was suspicious, and asked farther, " Can you tell me what I prayed for ?" She told me accurately. I conversed with her for some ten minutes, and left.- In less than half-an-hour she .was deaf again. Just now, while I write, she has the power of "speech and .of hearing, but she is still blind, and her eyes intensely painful. She cannot swallow any kind of sustenance these three days. Doubtless He doth all things well. The following extracts are from the pen of James C. L. 'Carson, M.D., an eminent physician at Coleraine, whose remarks upon the physical development of this Revival will be read with deep interest : Some people entertain the idea that this movement is owing entirely to an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the people ; whilst others as strenuously maintain that it is altogether a mes- meric or physical influence. I think, in the present state of our knowledge, we are not justified in speculating too far on these points ; nor does it appear at all necessary to do so. Whether there is a spiritual agent alone, or a spiritual and physical combined, it must be the work of God. It can be rationally accounted for in no other way. The result plainly proves its 'heavenly origin. When Jesus, by his Divine power, opened the eyes of the .blind man, he used the spittle and the clay. He could have done it quite as well without this instrumentality ; but still, in his infinite wisdom, he thought proper to use a physical agent. Indeed this seems to be the general almost the universal order of God's working in the world. Are we not, then, fully justified in concluding, in the present case, that if there is a physical agent in operation at all, it has been sent specially by God, to work out his own designs ? On what other principle could we account for the fact that such an occurrence has never been wit- nessed by us before ? What has this physical agent been about in times that are past ? Why has it been dormant ? But more especially, how does it come that this agent . in every case selects and operates upon those faculties alone' which 'connect us with APPENDIX. 573 religion? How does it make the selection, if it is not guided by a superior power ? I cannot see how this is to be accounted for by mere physical agency without the intervention of an Almighty power. Men under the influence of chloroform, electro-biology, or mesmerism, will frequently develop all the peculiarities of their nature. They will fight, swear, tell lies, steal, murder, or pray, as the case may be; but the present movement, no matter how many thousands may be influenced, is all in the one direction, and tends towards Heaven. This is a great peculiarity which shows that the physical agent which, in all probability, is in operation, is specially directed by infinite t wisdom. The man who will exclude the hand of God from this matter, in my humble judgment, is not consistent either as a philosopher or a Christian. . Some who advocate an exclusive spirituality have difficulty in accounting for the corporeal results. Suppose, however, the strongest-hearted of your readers were sitting at their ease and comfort in their own houses, and that they were suddenly informed, on evidence they could not doubt, that they were con- demned to death, and the gallows on which they were forthwith to be executed was already brought within their view, would the mental impressions produce no bodily results ? I rather think they would. The sudden and unexpected news would tell on the bravest of the brave. There would soon be the faltering voice, the quivering lip, the tottering limbs, and the wild look, or yell of despair. It could hardly be otherwise. If such, then, would be the result of the fear of mere temporal death, what might we not anticipate as the consequence of a sudden view of eternal damnation on an individual who had hitherto totally disregarded the state of his immortal soul ? Is it any wonder, when they see themselves hanging on the brink of destruction, they would be physically affected ? The real wonder is, that such a sudden and terrific sight should not at once extinguish the vital spark. That they live at all, and keep their judgment, under the circumstances, is really marvellous, and must be owing to the merciful interven- tion of the Almighty. Besides, if the prostrations were owing to mere mental excite- ment, they would invariably be found in the same sort of con- stitutions, wherever the same sort and amount of excitement would be in operation. Tried by this test, the explanation by fear will not do. The same amount of fear, and the same 574 TKEASUBED MOMENTS. sudden view of eternal things, must have existed in the Ame- rican as in the Irish Revival, .and yet we are told the physical prostrations did not occur in America, not even amongst the Irish in America. The inevitable conclusion is, that sudden conviction and conversion could not have produced them in the one case, without also producing them in the other. Eeason demands that we look for some other cause ; and that other cause I believe to be a purely physical agent. It is specially worthy of remark that the parties affected all go through the same stages, although the intensity may vary. They see their perishing condition and their need of a Saviour ; they then implore for mercy, and that mercy through Chriat alone; they never doubt the Almighty power of Jesus; they are not Unitarians. "When mercy comes, extreme felicity is the immediate result ; and then they are impelled by an active, overwhelming desire for the salvation of others. Does this not look like the transition from the sinner to the saint? I will just relate a case which occurred under my own eyes. A poor child, I think about eight or nine years of age, came to my house one night at a late hour, and asked to see Mrs. Carson, who had gone to her bed-room. The interview was readily granted. The child became affected. Her imploring and heart- rending cries for mercy for she said she was a sinner on the brink of hell were so absolutely distressing, that I had to leave the house for a time, as I could not bear to listen to the melan- choly tones of her infant voice. The expressions of deep despair and sincerity on her countenance could not be imitated by the best actor I ever saw on the stage. It was a dreadful scene. In a few hours the poor child got the most perfect relief, and her countenance appeared almost superhuman with delight. She then began to pray, and her prayer would have melted the heart of a rock. It was so powerful, so fluent, so accurate, so intense, and so full of thought, that it almost looked like inspiration in a child so very young. I am sure the scene will never leave the eyes of those who witnessed it ; and I trust that poor child was sent as a special messenger to arouse us to a sedse of our privi- leges and duties. The agonizing stage of her conviction por- trayed the awful despair which will be exhibited at the day of judgment by those who can then receive no mercy. Even if a person were never to participate in them, to look on such scenes throughout eternity would be a most dreadful doom. APPENDIX. 575 The child here referred to has lived consistently with her Christian profession ever since. The chief result of the Revival, perhaps, will be its influence on the onlooker. It will turn the attention of sinners to their perishing condition, and stir up saints to a sense of those duties which hitherto have been so lamentably neglected. More good has already beerr done than a person might have expected in the ordinary way in a quarter of a century. Already, the face of society seems to be altered, and crime and vice arrested. Everything about the Revival appears to me to be capable of being reconciled with the idea of there being a physical agent used specially by God, in connection with an outpouring of the Holy Spirit ; but I could not reconcile some things which I have seen] with either the exclusively physical or exclusively spiritual idea of it. Nearly three months later, he thus writes : I am now thoroughly convinced the idea I threw out in my letter of the 1st July, 1859, regarding the nature of the present Revival, is the correct one. "Without doubt, there is a physical agent, as well as a spiritual one, abroad. The one is, as it were, the handmaid to the other. They are both specially from God, and are most admirably calculated to work out his great design. It would be difficult to imagine any plan more perfectly adapted to the important end of the salvation of sinners. It would be well for those parties who look on the physical manifestations as an evil which should be avoided and repressed, to reconsider their ways. It is an awful thing to be found fighting against God! How dreadful is the presumption which will dare to dictate to the Almighty the way in which he should save sinners! Vain worms of the dust will not allow God to work, unless He does all after the fashion which they may choose to point out. They look for a Revival, but they will not accept of it unless it tallies with their own preconceived opinions. Their conduct forcibly reminds me of the Jews, who expected a Saviour, but refused to acknowledge him when he came, because he was not exactly according to their fancy. Such are multitudes of men. They must get leave to arrange things for God, or else they will not condescend to acknowledge His band at all. They are 576 TREASURED MOMENTS. not satisfied to take things as He sends them. They must have a new, improved, and corrected edition. They will not allow sinners to be saved in God's way. All must be brought down to the level of their fancy. If God sends physical manifestations, these must be repressed with a holy zeal ; meetings must be dispersed long before the very unfashionable hour at which the apostle Paul left off preaching, and public assemblies must be avoided for fear of the prostrations. I would seriously ask those influential parties who have thrown themselves, either in whole or in part, into the opposition scales, how will they account for their conduct at the last great day? It will perhaps then be found that, in place of charging the devil as the author of the mani- festations, they should have charged him as being the dictator of their own opposition to the work of God. These individuals would do well to ponder on the following observations, which fell from the lips of a little country -boy, who, after having experienced the Eevival in his own person, was standing on a stone and addressing a crowd on one of the streets in Coleraine. " Some people," said he, " call it the work of the devil. All I can say to this is, that up to last week I have been serving the devil as well as' I could, and I am sure he was well pleased with my ser- vice ; but if he is employing me now, he is so far changed that I would not know him to be the same man." The progress of Christianity is often retarded by the pusil- lanimous conduct of its own advocates. Many men, from mental weakness or fanaticism, undervalue, disregard, or despise scientific knowledge, and consequently are prone to set aside scientific facts which do not appear to harmonise with their own religious theories. In this way they disgust the scientific world, and become a direct barrier to religious investigation. We should never place the Book of Nature and the Book of Revelation in opposition to each other. They must be capable of reconciliation, as they both come from the hand of God. The one has nothing to fear from the other, provided only they are both correctly interpreted. Truth must square with truth. To fear truth, let it come whence it may, is a sign of the greatest weakness. Let us, then, never shrink, on any account, from a full examination of the Revival in its scientific as well as in its religious aspect. . . . In regard to the nature of the physical agent, I have no hesi- tation in acknowledging my utter ignorance. I know of nothing APPENDIX. 577 to correspond exactly with it in the whole range of philosophy. It is apparently more' closely allied to electro-biology than any- thing else ; but still it differs from it in some leading particulars. The person under electro-biology seems to disregard every one around him except the operator ; he believes all the operator tells him, and does everything he bids him ; and the operator, if he wishes, can draw out any and every trait of his character. On the other hand, in the Eevival, the person is generally cognizant of what is going on around him, hears what is said, and sees what is to be seen before his eyes. But above all, it is quite impossible to turn his attention completely off the one point regarding the condition of his soul, and the circumstances relating thereto. This is a fixed point from which none of the parties affected can be finally moved, although they may be distracted for a time. They all pass, in a longer or shorter period, through a similar course. The general traits of their character, irrespective of religion, cannot be brought out, nor can they possibly be made to imitate the actions of others. Be the physical agent what it may, it is evidently sent by God for a special purpose. What is this special purpose ? Why, simply to excite such a degree of atten- tion to spiritual matters as, humanly speaking, could not be done by any other means. No person but the man who has witnessed them could have any idea of the awful effects produced on the public mind by a number of Revival cases. A scene like the one which took place on the night in which the new hall in Coleraine was first filled with these cases has perhaps never been equalled in the world. It was so like the day of Judgment, when sinners would be calling on the mountains and the rocks to hide them from the storm of God's wrath, that it struck terror to the heart of the most hardened and obdurate sinner. The whole town was in a state of alarm, business was forgotten, and the Revival was the only subject of conversation. A French invasion could not have pi'oduced so great a panic. I have been present at execu- tions ; I have seen much of the accumulated misery of bodily disease and mental distress ; but I never in my life saw anything to be compared, for one moment, to the harassing scenes in the Coleraine Town-Hall. It would be quite impossible to imagine any agency more powerful for drawing the attention of men to the state of their souls. I heard many people mocking and scoffing, before that night, about the Revival ; but when I saw 578 TREASURED MOMENTS. the same parties examining the cases in the Town-Hall, the mocking was at an end, and they looked like criminals, whose hour was at hand. No other sort of a Revival could have had the same effects. If one half of the inhabitants of Coleraine had been converted in a minute, in the ordinary way, the other half would not have believed it ; they would have laughed at it as a vision. It would have had no effect upon them. In truth, the people of England do not yet believe that the people of Ireland are being converted, because they have not witnessed the scenes which have occurred. But if they had one hour of the Revival, they would soon change their tune ; their scepticism would speedily vanish. When I heard of the Revival being at Bally- mena, I did not believe it. I even went the length of saying it would soon be stopped in its progress by the coldness, formality, and narrow-minded bigotry and sectarianism of Coleraine. My scepticism on the subject, which was very great, all vanished in a night. "Wherever the physical manifestations broke out, in town or country, they put terror into the hearts of all who saw them, and at once convinced the onlooker that there was a great reality in them, let them be explained as they might. Deception was considered to be out of the question. No person who witnessed it could doubt the reality. One case in each end of a parish would set the whole parish in a state of excitement. The people all ran to see them. They could not avoid it. Consequently, I conclude that the physical manifestations were a most important part of the work, and that they entered specially into God's design, and were, in no sense of the word, mere accidents of the Revival. They were essentials, or God would not have sent them. The Revival has taken more root in Coleraine than anywhere else, and I believe this has been greatly owing to the fact that the clergy, of different denominations, have allowed the physical mani- festations to progress without interruption. They did not use any means to obviate their production. They seemed determined to make the best use they could out of what God had sent, and they have had their reward. The manifestations awakened the attention of the people in the highest degree, and the Spirit of God, which was poured out at the time, effected the conversion of multitudes. It might safely be said that more people have been converted in this district during the last four months than during the previous fifty years. Indeed, I am certain this statement is far within the mark. APPENDIX. 579 In conclusion, while many divines, in visiting Ireland since this remarkable Revival commenced, have been disposed to divide the work between different and opposing agents good and evil the spiritual part to God, and the physical develop- ment to the prince of the power of the air, that worketh in the children of disobedience, I left Ireland under the deepest conviction that it was all of God, and that there have been infinitely wise reasons why God in such a land, and in such a time as this, should arrest the attention of stupid, besotted priests, by some such marvellous display of his power and grace, accompanying his word, which he has magnified above all his name. It strikes me that nothing short of this would have done for Ireland, in the unequal struggle that has been going on there so long between truth and error, light and darkness, the spirit of Christ and the spirit of antichrist. The extraordinary manner, too, in which many have been stricken down, when alone in the field, in the workshop, in the kitchen, or wherever at work, by some striking passage of Scripture that had been lying dormant for years in their minds, but now brought home to the heart and conscience by the Spirit of God giving them such an overwhelming sense of guilt and danger as impelled them to cry mightily to God for mercy, and that too in the absence of all causes of excite- ment in those who had not been to a meeting, but had solemnly promised their priests they never would go, can, methinks, be accounted for upon no other principle than that God him- self has done it, and done it too in so remarkable a manner, as to arrest the attention of the " blind guides of the blind." If we are allowed to judge of this marvellous work by its fruits, we shall find it quite impossible to bring our minds to any other conclusion than that it is God's work, and not the work of man. Man could not do it, and Satan would not if he could. In the very towns, neighbourhoods, and cities, where a year ago the Christian traveller would be pained at beholding wrath, strife, seditions, envyings, murders, drunken- ness, revellings, and such like, he is now cheered and his 580 TREASURED MOMENTS. heart made glad at beholding such love, joy, peace, long- suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and tempe- rance, against which there is no law, and which are manifestly the fruit of the Spirit. It is no marvel, therefore, that, in examining such precious fruit, Lord Piggot, Chief Justice of Ireland, though a Roman Catholic, should have expressed his ardent hope " that the work ^uould spread over the whole of Ireland, and reach the very depths of human society." During my stay in Ireland I travelled some five hundred miles through the very region where the Revival had been going on for six months and more. I took pains to visit places of resort, and mingle in the crowds, in order to see whether or not the surface of society had become at all affected by the Revival ; and the result was, I never heard an oath, nor saw an intoxicated man, in my whole tour ; and was frequently told, that had I travelled the same route before the Revival, profanity and drunkenness would have been the most prominent features upon the face of society. I do not hesitate, therefore, for a moment, to record here my solemn convictions, in which there remains not the shadow of a doubt, THAT THIS GREAT AND EXTRAORDINARY REVIVAL IN THE NORTH OF IRELAND, IN 1859, is SOLELY THE WORK OF GOD, and such a work as every Christian should desire and pray for the world over. Come, Lord Jesus ! come quickly, and do just such a work in France ! is my fervent, daily prayer. 581 London, Nov. 15th, 1859. WHILE there are many things in such a city as this to offend the eye, the ear, yea, every natural and moral sense of the Christian, he will still find much to admire, and will meet with many little incidents that touch the heart with peculiar tenderness and power, and which show how beautifully and thoroughly the Christian principle underlays the whole frame- work of society in those countries where the people enjoy an open Bible and a free gospel. Where God's holy Sabbaths are observed, more or less of gospel truth permeates the national mind. However multiform and lamentable the ex- ceptions, the general rule holds good, that the free circulation of the holy Scriptures, and an enlightened individual and national conscience, stand together in the relation of cause and effect ; and with a conscience, a degree of cultivation and refinement nowhere seen in lands destitute of the Scriptures. During the last five years I have travelled extensively through England, Scotland, and Ireland ; have spent weeks at large family boarding-houses in the heart of this metropolis, where professional and business men are daily coming and going to and from all parts of the kingdom, affording favour- able opportunities of coming in close contact with British hearts ; and among the many h'ttle incidents that have crossed my path, and touched my heart, the following is the last : One of the gentlemen-boarders, a fine scholar, with a literary taste, and a highly cultivated and richly-stored mind, fond of poetry, and no mean poet himself, as he saw me from day to day correcting the proof-sheets, said, " I am pleased with the 582 TREASURED MOMENTS. title of your book, and I must show you some of my own " Treasured Moments." Going then to his portfolio, he brought forth many gems, from among which he selected the following, which he presented to me as a kind of connecting link between our " Treasures." . Jt makes an appropriate finish, and is a hymn which will find a warm response in every Christian heart, and will, I trust, be sung ere long by ten thousand times ten thousand of the redeemed of the Lord over all the earth. " Come, Lord Jesus ! come quickly ! " EEEATUM. IN the hurry of preparing the Appendix, a repetition of one or two facts has been discovered, when too late to remedy j but, fortunately, such facts as will bear repeating, 583 SECOND ADVENT HYMN. "Even so-; Gome, Lord Jesus." HOLT ! Holy ! Holy Lord ! Eternal Father, Spirit, Word, To thee be praise and glory given, By all on earth and all in heaven. Lei the glad earth commence the Song ; Ye angel choirs, the notes prolong : Join, saints and seraphim, to raise An anthem of exalted praise. Come, Saviour ! Come, assume thy sway, Let earth's remotest realms obey ; 'Tis thine, O Lord, thy blood-bought right, O'er the dark world to pour the light. Creation groans, with travail prest, Waiting her promised days of rest, When every power on earth shall bow Before the Saviour's kingly brow. On thy blest brow still, Saviour, wear The crown thy foes once planted there ; For every thorn shall be a gem Brighter than earth's best diadem. Thy Church with outstretch'd, longing eyes, Looks up to see the dawn arise ; And ready waits to bow the knee, And hail her king, Christ, in THEE ! s. j. w. LONDON : EOBEKT K. BUET, PBINIJJB, HOLBOBJf HILt. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRAEY ' University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 305 De Neve Drive - Parking Lot 17 Box 951388 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. A 000 023 701