Volume II Part 13 (1/2)

This society was organized in 1815. The _first proposal_ came from a few _little colored girls_, who, after hearing a sermon on the blessedness of doing good, wanted to know whether they might not have a society for raising money to give to the poor.

This Juvenile a.s.sociation has, since its organization, raised the sum of _fourteen hundred dollars_! Even this little a.s.sociation has experienced a great impulse from the free system. From a table of the annual receipts since 1815, we found that the amount raised the two last years, is nearly equal to that received during any three years before.

DR. DANIELL--WEATHERILL ESTATE.

On our return from Thibou Jarvis's estate, we called at Weatherill's; but the manager, Dr. Daniell, not being at home, we left our names, with an intimation of the object of our visit. Dr. D. called soon after at our lodgings. As authority, he is unquestionable. Before retiring from the practice of medicine, he stood at the head of his profession in the island. He is now a member of the council, is proprietor of an estate, manager of another, and attorney for six.

The fact that such men as Dr. D., but yesterday large slaveholders, and still holding high civil and political stations, should most cheerfully facilitate our anti-slavery investigations, manifesting a solicitude to furnish us with all the information in their power, is of itself the highest eulogy of the new system. The testimony of Dr. D. will be found mainly in a subsequent part of the work. We state, in pa.s.sing, a few incidentals. He was satisfied that immediate emanc.i.p.ation was better policy than a temporary apprentices.h.i.+p. The apprentices.h.i.+p was a middle state--kept the negroes in suspense--vexed and harra.s.sed them--_fed them on a starved hope_; and therefore they would not be so likely, when they ultimately obtained freedom, to feel grateful, and conduct themselves properly. The reflection that they had been cheated out of their liberty for six years would _sour their minds_. The planters in Antigua, by giving immediate freedom, had secured the attachment of their people.

The Doctor said he did not expect to make more than two thirds of his average crop; but he a.s.sured us that this was owing solely to the want of rain. There had been no deficiency of labor. The crops were _in_, in season, throughout the island, and the estates were never under better cultivation than at the present time. Nothing was wanting but RAIN--RAIN.

He said that the West India planters were very anxious to _retain_ the services of the negro population.

Dr. D. made some inquiries as to the extent of slavery in the United States, and what was doing for its abolition. He thought that emanc.i.p.ation in our country would not be the result of a slow process.

The anti-slavery feeling of the civilized world had become too strong to wait for a long course of ”preparations” and ”ameliorations.” And besides, continued he, ”the arbitrary control of a master can never be a preparation for freedom;--_sound and wholesome legal restraints are the only preparative_.”

The Doctor also spoke of the absurdity and wickedness of the caste of color which prevailed in the United States. It was the offspring of slavery, and it must disappear when slavery is abolished.

CONVERSATION WITH A NEGRO.

We had a conversation one morning with a boatman, while he was rowing us across the harbor of St. John's. He was a young negro man. Said he was a slave until emanc.i.p.ation. We inquired whether he heard any thing about emanc.i.p.ation before it took place. He said, yes--the slaves heard of it, but it was talked about so long that many of them lost all _believement_ in it, got tired waiting, and bought their freedom; but he had more patience, and got his for nothing. We inquired of him, what the negroes did on the first of August, 1834. He said they all went to church and chapel. ”Dare was more _religious_ on dat day dan you could tire of.”

Speaking of the _law_, he said it was his _friend_. If there was no law to take his part, a man, who was stronger than he, might step up and knock him down. But now no one dare do so; all were afraid of the _law_,--the law would never hurt any body who behaved well; but a master would _slash a fellow, let him do his best_.

VISIT TO NEWFIELD.

Drove out to Newfield, a Moravian station, about eight miles from St.

John's. The Rev. Mr. Morrish, the missionary at that station, has under his charge two thousand people. Connected with the station is a day school for children, and a night school for adults twice in each week.

We looked in upon the day school, and found one hundred and fifteen children. The teacher and a.s.sistant were colored persons. Mr. M.

superintends. He was just dismissing the school, by singing and prayer, and the children marched out to the music of one of their little songs.

During the afternoon, Mr. Favey, manager of a neighboring estate, (Lavicount's,) called on us.

He spoke of the tranquillity of the late Christmas holidays. They ended Tuesday evening, and his people were all in the field at work on Wednesday morning--there were no stragglers. Being asked to specify the chief advantages of the new system over slavery, he stated at once the following things: 1st. It (free labor) is less _expensive_. 2d. It costs a planter far less _trouble_ to manage free laborers, than it did to manage slaves. 3d. It had _removed all danger of insurrection, conflagration, and conspiracies_.

ADULT SCHOOL.

In the evening, Mr. Morrish's adult school for women was held. About thirty women a.s.sembled from different estates--some walking several miles. Most of them were just beginning to read. They had just begun to learn something about figures, and it was no small effort to add 4 and 2 together. They were incredibly ignorant about the simplest matters. When they first came to the school, they could not tell which was their right arm or their right side, and they had scarcely mastered that secret, after repeated showing. We were astonished to observe that when Mr. M.

asked them to point to their cheeks, they laid their finger upon their chins. They were much pleased with the evolutions of a dumb clock, which Mr. M. exhibited, but none of them could tell the time of day by it.

Such is a specimen of the intelligence of the Antigua negroes. Mr. M.

told us that they were a pretty fair sample of the country negroes generally. It surely cannot be said that they were uncommonly well prepared for freedom; yet with all their ignorance, and with the merest infantile state of intellect, they prove the peaceable subjects of law.

That they have a great desire to learn, is manifest from their coming such distances, after working in the field all day. The school which they attend has been established since the abolition of slavery.

The next morning, we visited the day school. It was opened with singing and prayer. The children knelt and repeated the Lord's Prayer after Mr.

M. They then formed into a line and marched around the room, singing and keeping the step. A tiny little one, just beginning to walk, occasionally straggled out of the line. The next child, not a little displeased with such disorderly movements, repeatedly seized the straggler by the frock, and pulled her into the ranks; but finally despaired of reducing her to subordination. When the children had taken their seats, Mr. M., at our request, asked all those who were free before August, 1834, to rise. Only one girl arose, and she was in no way distinguishable from a white child. The first exercise, was an examination of a pa.s.sage of scripture. The children were then questioned on the simple rules of addition and subtraction, and their answers were prompt and accurate.

DR. NUGENT.