19. XIX.
GOES ON WITH HIS CHURCH.
Church of St. Vallandigum, }
June the 10th, 1863.
[1]
We hed a blessid and improvin time yisterday. My little
flock staggered in at the usual hour in the mornin, every man
in a heavenly frame uv mind, hevin bin ingaged all nite in a
work uv mercy, to-wit: a mobbin uv two enrollin officers.
One uv em resisted, and they smote him hip and thigh, even
ez Bohash smote Jaheel. (Skriptooral, wich is nessary, bein
in the ministry.) He wuz left for dead.
We opened servis by singin a hym, wich I writ, commencin
ez follows: —
“Shel niggers black this land possess,
And mix with us up here?
O, no, my friends; we rayther guess
We'll never stand that 'ere.”
I then held forth from this text: “Whar hev ye laid him?”
I statid that the person I referred to wuz the marterd Vallandigum,
and I, in behaff uv a outraged Dimokrasy, demanded
uv the tyrant Linkin, “Wher hev yoo laid him?” A unconvertid
individooal sed, “He's laid him out!” wich remark cost
him a broken head. I went on to show why our saint hed bin
martered. It wuz becoz he wuz a Dimekrat — becoz he dared
to exercise the rites guaranteed to every American, exceptin
Ablishnists and niggers, uv aboosin the guvernment. For this,
and nuthin else, wuz he eggsiled. “My friends,” sez I, drawin
myself up to my full hite, and lookin as much like Fernandywood
ez possible, “I am willin to be marterd. I denounce this
war as unholy, unconstooshnel, unrighteous, and unmittigated.
It is nothin less than a invashen uv Dimekratik states for the
sole purpus of freein niggers. Linkin is a tyrant, Burnside a
tool, Order 38 a relik of barberism, and I will resist the enrollment,
the conscripshen, and the tax. Hooray for Geff Davis.”
[2]
Our class-meeting wuz more interestiner than ever. One
old white-headed brother sed that at times his way was dark,
and his pathway gloomy. Wunst he wuz very near becomin
a infidle. He reely believed at one time that the nigger was
human, and wunst he voted for a Republican road supervisor.
But he hed repented, and was, he trusted, forgiven. His
mind wuz now easy, and he should vote the whole Dimekratik
tickit.
Two backsliders, who scratched their tickits last fall, confest
their sin publicly. I exhorted them two hours, fined em a
gallon uv whisky apeece, and took em into full communion.
The whisky will be devotid to the missionary service, wich
is me.
This is a deliteful feeld uv labor. At the Corners they give
me sich flooids ez I need at all the doggeries but one, and at
that one they trust me, wich amounts to the same thing. I
hev borrid uv my flock over sixty dollars already. It is a rich
feeld, and wun wich will endoor much workin. My nose is
deepnin in color every hour.
Petroleum V. Nasby,
Paster uv sed Church, in charge.
