A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. HavilandHaviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Religion
A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. Haviland
Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Freed persons; Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith), 1808-1898; Underground Railroad
On Sunday morning, April 24th, we attended the sunrise prayer-meeting
among the colored people, and more earnest prayers I never heard for
Union soldiers: never heard more earnest pleading for the triumph of
liberty. God was truly overshadowing his own. Before the rising of the
sun, there was a large congregation. At nine o'clock we were invited to
make some opening remarks in brother Tucker's Sabbath-school of three
hundred children. Then we were conducted to another Sabbath-school,
where we were invited to make a few closing remarks. At 11 o'clock we
attended a meeting led by Chaplain Berge. On returning to our
boarding-place, we were called upon by brother Merrifield, who
accompanied us into the fort to address the colored troops. Sister
Backus referred to the importance of making themselves intelligent, so
that when their rights were established as citizens, they would be
prepared to vote understandingly. This brought smiles from the
officers, and frowns from a few of the white soldiers. We also attended
a meeting conducted by the chaplain of the general hospital, who
preached a very appropriate sermon for officers as well as soldiers. He
warned against the truckling, time-serving, and cotton-speculating
manifestations in this war, and also the influence of Southern women in
sympathy with the rebellion.
This was the sixth religious service we attended during the day, in
four of which we had taken an active part. We retired to rest until the
6:30 o'clock meeting at the Methodist Episcopal Church, now turned over
to Chaplain Brakeman, who was called away the previous day. He had left
an urgent request for me to address the soldiers on Sabbath evening;
but I told the chaplain who brought the word we could make no further
engagements, as we were waiting hourly for a boat going up the river.
Before six, a steamer stopped, and we took passage for Natchez, as we
had business to see to concerning an orphan asylum. One of the
chaplains said if we could realize the good it was doing the soldiers,
we would visit them oftener; that there were more conversions during
the week after we left than in many months previously. An exhortation
from a mother reminded the soldiers of home and home influences.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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