The Continental Monthly, Vol. 1, No. 6, June, 1862: Devoted To Literature and National PolicyVarious
History
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 1, No. 6, June, 1862: Devoted To Literature and National Policy
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; United States -- Politics and government -- 19th century -- Periodicals
'My dear bredderin and sisters, de Lord say dat 'de dust shill return to
de earth as it war, and de spirit to Him who gabe it,' and now, 'cordin'
to dat text, my friends, we'm gwine to put dis dust (pointing to the two
coffins) in de groun' whar it cum from, and whar it shill lay till de
blessed Lord blow de great trumpet on de resumrection mornin'. De
spirits of our brudders har de Lord hab already took to hisseff. 'Our
brudders,' I say, my chil'ren, 'case ebery one dat de Lord hab made am
brudders to you and to me, whedder dey'm bad or good, white or brack.
'Dis young chile, who hab gone 'way and leff his pore fader and mudder
suffrin' all ober wid grief, _he_ hab gone to de Lord, _shore_. _He_
neber did no wrong; he allers 'bey'd his massa, and he neber said no
hard word, nor found no fault, not eben w'en de cruel, bad oberseer put
de load so heaby on him dat it kill him. Yes, my bredderin and sisters,
_he_ hab gone to de Lord; gone whar dey don't work in de swamps; whar de
little chil'ren don't tote de big shingles fru de water up to dar knees.
No swamps am dar; no shingles am cut dar; dey doan't need 'em, 'case dar
hous'n haint builded wid hands, for dey'm all built by de Lord, and
gib'n to de good niggers, ready-made, and for nuffin'. De Lord don't
say, like as our massa do, 'Pomp, dar's de logs and de shingles,' (dey'm
allers pore shingles, de kine dat woant sell; but he say, '_dey'm_ good
'nuff for niggers, ef de roof do leak.) De Lord doan't say: 'Now, Pomp,
you go to work and build you' own house; but mine dat you does you task
all de time, jess de same!' But de Lord--de bressed Lord--He say, w'en
we goes up dar, 'Dar, Pomp, dar's de house dat I'se been a buildin' for
you eber sence 'de foundation ob de worle.' It'm done now, and you kin
cum in; your room am jess ready, and ole Sal and de chil'ren dat I tuk
'way from you eber so long ago, and dat you mourned ober and cried ober
as ef you'd neber see dem agin, _dar dey am, all on 'em, a waiting for
you_. Dey'm been fixin' up de house 'spressly for you all dese long
years, and dey'be got it all nice and comfible now.' Yas, my frens,
glory be to Him, dat's what our Heabenly massa say, and who ob you
wouldn't hab sich a massa as dat? a massa dat don't set you no hard
tasks, and dat gibs you 'nuff to eat, and time to rest and to sing and
to play. A massa dat doan't keep no Yankee oberseer to foller you 'bout
wid de big free-lashed whip; but dat leads you hisseff round to de green
pastures and de still waters; and w'en you'm a-faint and a-tired, and
can't go no furder, dat takes you up in his arms, and carries you in his
bosom. What pore darky am dar dat wudn't hab sich a massa? What one ob
us, eben ef we had to work so hard as we does now, wudn't tink hisseff
de happiest nigger in de hull worle, ef he could hab sich hous'n to lib
in as dem? dem hous'n 'not made wid hands, eternal in de heabens!'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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