Obrázky stránek
PDF
ePub

they would give unmistakable manifestation of their high appreciation of his services. Dr. Massie has served us long

and has served us well.

"On Sabbath morning Dr. Massie preached in the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church. His sermon was highly evangelical and profitable to those who heard. The subject was the 'Direct witness of the Holy Spirit to our personal acceptance as children of God.'

"In the evening, the Union meeting was held in the Central Presbyterian Church, to hear him in regard to his special mission. The house was filled. There were not less than two thousand persons assembled. It was really an imposing spectacle, one worthy of the occasion, and only worthy. For surely if European Christians take so deep an interest in our situation, as to send a delegate to express their regard, we ought to assemble in large numbers to hear.

"The Doctor spoke an hour and forty minutes. He recounted our national and Christian affinities with England-he acknowledged that there were those in England who did not sympathize with us in this struggle; belonging principally to the aristocracy and the 'apes of aristocracy' -he apologized for the errors of judgment in many of his countrymen because of their ignorance of our geography, our State Constitutions, and Federal Compact; the power of our President, and Commander-in-Chief of our armies; of our political parties and local interests. He warned us against accepting the "Standard" and "Times" as exponents of English opinion. He assured us of the sympathy of the working and middling classes, and of the Dissenting Christians, and gave instances perfectly convincing. He detailed the efforts of the Union and Emancipation Society' in forming public opinion, printing and circulating tracts and papers, containing facts and true issues connected with the rebellion, by public meetings and speeches, and the adoption of addresses and resolutions expressive of sympathy and approval of the cause of the North. He described the sufferings of the Lancashire operatives, 1,500,000 of whom had been more or less dependent upon the supply of cotton. Many had been reduced to naked beggary, and were fed from the poor rates, and yet refused to unite in asking their government to break

ALBANY NOT EFFICIENTLY REPRESENTED.

291

the blockades. No, said they, the North is right, the South is wrong, and we will suffer on. He closed with an eloquent appeal, that we should be patient with England, not exacting, even where we had cause, but to strive to avoid a war between the two great Protestant nations of the earth, lest the enemies of God and man should triumph.

"The above is but a meagre sketch of the manly, generous, Christian, and eloquent address on the occasion. It must do good. Such addresses, delivered as they have been all over our country, must prove like oil on the troubled waters. The Doctor is now on his return to the seaboard, whence he will soon sail for his native land. May his Voyage be prosperous, and his life long be spared for usefulness, and be brightened to its close by the recollections of his visit to his American brethren."

[ocr errors]

My journey was from Buffalo by sleeping car to Albany. I had declined this mode of travel previously, having an impression it would not be comfortable. In this I was mistaken; under the guidance of Dr. Heacock I went an hour before starting time and arranged for and occupied a double berth. There was, therefore, air and space, and I slept and rested till we approached Albany. I might have been even more composed and comfortable. I had not spent any time at Albany prior to this visit. I was surprised at its size, and disappointed at the want of enterprise and faith among certain prominent, I cannot call them leading men. The Rev. Mr. Bridgman, Baptist minister in the First Church of that denomination, had heard me at Rochester, and pressed me to come to Albany for a like. purpose, making request I would come to his house, and write apprising him when my time drew near. I did write, and then he renewed his invitation to take up my abode at his house, but apprehended a week meeting would be a failure, and he would suggest a private meeting of ministers at his house as preferable. I replied by telegraph in time for Sunday notices, that I was willing to accept of any meeting, but should prefer one in which the

public would be interested. I could not appropriate a Sunday to Albany.

I found this city with a population, at last census, of 62,367, having increased nearly 12,000 since 1850. It has the Capitol, State Hall, City Hall, hospital, forty church edifices, the Dudley Observatory, the University, with a law department the best in the Union, a medical college, a state normal school, the Albany Institute, the Young Men's Association, and the Apprentice's Library, these three last having between them 16,000 volumes; while the State Library has 46,000 volumes. There is one edifice in State Street, where are deposited most interesting public collections in natural history, in geology, and in agriculture. There is a large commerce maintained by the Hudson, the Erie Canal, and the Champlain Canal, with every facility for river and canal navigation. The state legislature meets here, and many public officers and prominent men in the state reside in Albany. Some kind of notification was given that there would be a meeting in the First Baptist Church. I went and found a congregation of three hundred. I pursued my usual course, modified my extempore address to what I supposed the audience might require. At the close, the postmaster, Mr. Dawson, who is also editor of one of the most respectable local journals, Governor, or Judge Harris, who is, I think, Senator for the state, and some others, came forward, expressing their extreme regret that the notice had been so inefficient, and the attendance so small; and urging that I should renew my visit and repeat the same address. I objected that already I had delivered what, in substance, I must again speak, and that I should feel as if the cream had already been taken off, and it would afterwards be found very stale to them who had already heard it. Senator Harris answered, “I could sit down and hear every word again now, and I should like the whole to be delivered to members of Congress at

GLOVERSVILLE THE MANUFACTURING VILLAGE.

293

Washington." The next day the same subject was introduced by some of the office-bearers of another church, and I consented to endeavour to comply, if a reasonable effort were made to secure an attendance. But my ultimate engagements, prior to sailing for Europe, were so precisely fixed, that I could not defer on a contingency their due notification for other places. Thus Albany was the only city in which the mission was attempted and left incomplete. There was no response, though, I presume, some of the clergymen adhered to the answer adopted in the city of New York. I was much gratified by the tone and conduct of a prayer meeting I attended in the congregation of Dr. Palmer of the First Congregational Church. From him I received much kindness.

A letter from Dr. Thompson of New York, was received, inviting me to a meeting of the General Association of New York, to be held at Gloversville, about fifty miles up from Albany, beyond Fonda. The sessions were to continue for the week, and arrangements would be made for me to address the assembled ministers. I repaired by train to Fonda from Albany, and thence by coach along a picturesque road, and upon a timber track for a great part of the way. I reached the place about mid-day, and was introduced in due form by Dr. Thompson. The chairman, in the name of the association, welcomed me, and I listened with much interest to their discussion. The place of worship was an elegant country church; the assembled congregation consisted of members of the community living in the place, or who had come as delegates or visitors. The village and its vicinity were superior to any rural village in England, in the style of the houses, and in the verdure and shade of the trees which lined the roads and paths. I was told the population was 5000, and almost all, directly or indirectly, employed in or depending on the manufacture of gloves, which were cut up into shape and

sent out daily by horse conveyance, with thread, etc., to the houses of the people, while the work of the previous day was regularly brought to the warehouse by the same messenger. I never attended a meeting in which my sympathies were more enlisted, or in which, as participating the services, I felt more identified with all who were engaged with me. I am glad to have a report which appeared in a New York paper, to embody here.

"The Rev. Doctor Massie of London was present during a part of two sessions of the above meeting.

"By invitation he stated the object of his visit to the United States, and read a brief extract of the letter of which he was the bearer. In the course of his remarks, in language that touched every heart, and brought tears to almost every eye, he described his life-long sympathy with the United States, intensified by our struggle against a rebellion in behalf of slavery. His statement of the action of the Manchester workmen in favour of the American Union, and against any recognition of the slaveholders' proposed Confederacy, or compromise therewith, notwithstanding the continuance of the war was producing starvation among them, produced deep feeling.

"At the close of Dr. Massie's address, the following resolution was adopted :

"Resolved, that the Rev. Dr. Massie be requested to accept for himself and his associate signers of the letter of which he is the bearer, the assurances of our sincere esteem and our pledge of co-operation with them for the preservation of fraternal feeling in behalf of Christianity and of personal and constitutional liberty.'

"Rev. H. G. Ludlow, who had been announced to preach preparatory to the administration of the Lord's Supper, arose and gracefully declined, as we had had, in Dr. Massie's discourse, an admirable preparation for the Communion. He requested that Dr. M. might take part in the administration of the ordinance, which he did.

"After the Supper,' Dr. Thompson read the reply to the address of the English brethren prepared by an assemblage of clergymen in New York. This was adopted by

« PředchozíPokračovat »