It is often asserted at the North that, as a rule, the negro was punished if he prayed or received religious instruction. On the contrary, many fine plantations had their "prayer houses," where a white minister was employed to hold services and to instruct them in the Bible. In nearly every section they were permitted and encouraged to hold their own meetings. That this is true is attested by these same thousands of "spirituals," all of which are filled with Bible texts. Some of the most devout Christians were, and are yet, the old "mammies" and "uncles" who lived all the closer to the heavenly Father because of their simplicity and lack of learning. The deeply religious and better class of old negroes maintain that the reason that this music is so fascinating to whites and blacks is because it is God's own music inspired by the Holy Spirit. [Music: DONE FOUND DAT NEW HIDIN' PLACE. 1. Who dat ... yon- der dressed in white? ... Must be de 2. Who dat ... yon- der dressed in black? ... Must be de 3. Jes on-ly could see lee-tle ba - by to-day-- ... An - gel done 4. When I was down in E - gypt's land, ...Heard a mighty chil-lun ob de Is - rael - ite ... Done found dat new hid-in' place! nig - gers a - turn - in' back! Done found dat new hid-in' place! drug her thoo de twelve pearly gates! Done found dat new hid-in' place! talkin' 'bout de promised land-- Done found dat new hid-in' place! Who dat ... yon- der dressed in red? ... Must be de God don't talk like a nat-er-al man--... Talk so a Pur- ti- est ting what eb-ber I done ... Was to And when we get on Ca - naan's shore.... We'll chil-lun dat a Mos-es led! .. Done found dat new hid-in' place! sin-ner can a - un-der-stand-- Done found dat new hid-in' place! git religion when I was young-- Done found dat new hid-in' place! shout and sing for-eb-ber more-- Done found dat new hid-in' place! REFRAIN. Come a-long--Done found dat new hid-in' place! Ise so gla-ad 'm Done found dat new hid-in' place!] There is indeed a wonderful power in some of these songs, and the charm undoubtedly lies in the fact that they are founded on Bible texts. No one questions the remarkable hold the genuine negro music has upon the Anglo-Saxon race, as is evidenced by the success of the Jubilee singers years ago and of the Hampton students now. The negroes have simply used the weird African melodies as a fascinating vehicle for Bible truths. Most students of English hymnology have observed a similar fact in their own religious poetry. One of the most powerful devotional hymns in the language--How Firm a Foundation, ye Saints of the Lord--is largely indebted for its perpetuity to the fact that almost every line is taken directly from the Bible. To illustrate the power of this music upon the colored people themselves, I may be permitted to give this little bit of personal experience: