The Man with the Book; or, The Bible Among the People.Weylland, John Matthias
History
The Man with the Book; or, The Bible Among the People.
Weylland, John Matthias
City missions; London City Mission
away, some of the crowd followed, but many who were sinners remained to
hear the Gospel more fully.
The Missionary followed in the direction the "fagger" had taken, and
found him in Pall Mall. They stood for some time under the colonnade of
the opera house, and there the man of feeble intellect called Jesus,
Lord, and repeated the simple prayer he used. A few months after this he
was removed to the infirmary, in abject poverty and increased mental
weakness. At times, however, he used to sit in Poverty Square (a yard in
the workhouse), muttering to himself the one great truth he had
grasped,--that the crucified Jesus was a living Saviour; and while a ray
of reason remained this gave him comfort. When last heard of his mind
had entirely gone, but he was for years a living proof that the grand
truth of salvation can be grasped by the feeblest as well as by the
mightiest intellect.
The "niggers" were met with under very different circumstances. Several
summers after the visit to their dressing-room and the rescue of "Black
Poll," their friend was walking upon the sands at Broadstairs in company
with three ladies. They stopped to listen to an entertainment which some
"niggers," who had formed themselves into a circle, were about to give.
As he knew them, and did not care that they should then recognise him,
he kept at the back of the assembled listeners. Towards the close, there
was a peculiar "ogling" between the "artistes," and a looking in one
direction, and then they brought their entertainment to a sudden close;
and to the surprise of the company, and the horror of the three ladies
(who slipped off), they fairly rushed toward their friend, and in the
most demonstrative manner owned him as such. "I has bin to see Poll,"
exclaimed Dusty, "and she's growed a wapper, and took to hedecation, as
is her nature. And she writ me a letter, and if I sees yer honour arter
dark I'll bring it; and now the ladies are out we picks up fourpennies
and sixpennies, and when they goes in the tother sort comes out, an' we
only gets browns." For the time it was a relief to be rid of them, so an
appointment was made upon the sands at ten o'clock that night. The men,
who had left their instruments behind them, were waiting, and a
strangely pleasant hour was spent with them. As they stood at the edge,
or rather followed the receding tide, the moon casting her soft light
upon the rippling waves, the "niggers" listened, and in their way
conversed about truths which concerned their salvation. The confidential
utterance of the fiddler, will show the influence of Christian effort
with such people. "You sees, sir," he said, "that this ain't a religious
sort of business, but I can't be no other but a 'nigger,' and I has a
wife an' three youngsters, what are always a-hopening of their mouths
and must have summut to put into 'em. But I has given up getting drunk
and cursing as I used, and wheresomever I bees on Sunday, I slips in to
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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