The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1882, Page 23

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The Lutheran Pioneer. 23

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Sam, the Fiddler. The poor Christian departed with a grateful | astonishment and contempt he held up the
heart, thankful to God that he had escaped | piece of wood and said:
with nothing worse than angry words, and be-| ‘‘‘ How can this speak? Has it a mouth?’
gan to think what more he could do for his|I desired him to take it immediately and not
good and gracious God. His owner possessed | spend so much time talking about it.
other estates, and had from a thousand to two} ‘‘On arriving at the house he gave the chip
violin, and was accustomed to play that instru- | thousand colored folks upon them. Sam turned |to Mrs. Williams, who read it, threw it away,
ment at the merry-makings of the colored|his attention to them. When his hard day’s|and went to the tool-chest whither the chief,
people and the balls of the Europeans: He|work beneath a tropical sun was finished, he | resolving to see the end of this mysterious busi-
was brought, however, to listen to the Word of | would steal away to one or other of these plan-| ness, followed her closely. On receiving the
Life. It reached his heart; he embraced the | tations, to talk to those slaves about his Sav-|square from her he said, ‘Say, daughter, how
Gospel, and became a decided Christian. Fear-|iour, and invite them to go and hear the mis-|do you know that this is what Mr. Williams
ing that his musical instrument might now|sionary. Sometimes he did this as often as| wants?’
prove a snare, he broke it; for he thought if | two or three nights in a week. Atothertimes,| ‘‘‘Why,’ she replied, ‘did you not bring me
he sold it, he might be tempted to buy another} when the Saturday came, which was allowed |a chip just now?’
with the money. One day his master told him | for himself, he would embrace the opportunity| ‘‘*Yes,’ said the astonished warrior, ‘but I
that he would soon be wanted to play his fa-| thus afforded and visit a plantation, and invite | did not hear it say anything.’
vorite instrument. He replied, ‘‘ Fiddle broke, | the colored people to go with him and hear| ‘‘‘If you did not, I did,’ was the reply ; ‘for
Massa.’’ ‘‘It must be mended, Sam.’’ ‘‘Broke | Massa missionary. Thus he persisted in this|it told me what he wanted. And all you have
all to pieces, Massa.’’ ‘‘Well, we must get a|course of benevolent zeal, till he had brought | to do is to return with it as quickly as possible.’
new one, Sam.” ‘Me tink dat be no good, | about five hundred persons to become regular} ‘‘With this the chief leaped out of the house,
Massa—be soon broke.’? The master began to | hearers of the Gospel. and catching up the mysterious piece of wood,
- suspect that this breaking of fiddles must have| While thus zealous for’ the salvation of | he ran through the settlement with the chip in
something to do with religion, to which, un-| others, he knew where, in the time of trial, to}one hand and the square in the other, holding
happily, he was no friend. ‘I hope you do not} look for strength and grace. The missionary | them up as high as his arms would reach, and
go to pray, and go after those mad-headed | being obliged for a time to leave his flock, ex-| shouting as he went, ‘See the wisdom of these
folks, Sam?” ‘‘To tell the truth, me gone, | pressed to this poor Christian his fears that| English people! They can make chips talk!
Massa.”” His owner now threatened him with| when the shepherd was gone, the flock might | they can make chips talk!’
punishment, and told him he should be flogged. | suffer. Sam, however, reminded him that the| “(On giving me the square he wished to
Sam, however, was firm. ‘Dat no good,|chief Shepherd is forever very near. ‘‘Massa | know how it was possible thus to converse with
Massa; whip no’ flog the Word out.’”? His | missionary must go; Massa Christ no go; poor| people at a distance. I gave him all the in-
master then declared that he should be turned |Sam all weak; massa Christ all strong.’’ At|formation I could; but it was to him such a
out of his comfortable situation and sent to|another time the missionary overheard him ex-] mystery that he actually tied a’ string to the
work on the plantation. He, however, had | horting some of his acquaintance to exert them-| chip, hung it round his neck and wore it for
counted the cost and remained immovable, so selves to bear the expenses of that station, that | some time. For several days after we fre-
that his owner's threat was executed. the Society, thus relieved, might send the Gos-| quently saw him surrounded by a crowd, who
Dismissed from a situation of comfort, to toil | pel to some of their poor brethren elsewhere. | were listening with intense interest while he
in a field of labor, under the burning sun of | Thus was Sam, though poor as to the world, told them of the wonders which the chip had
Jamaica, he felt for a time dejected; but soon | rich in faith and in good works. performed.” — ei
perceived that an opportunity for doing import- ———+ +2 o> : That place is now a Christian land. It has
ant good was now before him. In his master’s The Chip that could Talk. its churches and Christian schools, and 18 ZOv-
family he mingled with a few domestics, now erned wisely and well by ‘*Isaia, * a native
he was in the midst of three hundred slaves.| John Williams, a missionary to the South chief. He never forgets in his laws and plans
He began, therefore, to tell them about his|Sea Islands, was engaged oné day hewing tim- for the good of une people, that “‘righteousness
Saviour, and to invite them to go and hear his | ber for a chapel, surrounded by many wonder- exalteth a nation.
minister. Many of them yielded to his invita-|ing natives. It was when thus employed that SU ne aay
tions; and in a little while of these three hun-| the incident occurred of which he thus tells in Jessie’s Advice to Grandma.
dred, about a hundred and fifty became regular | his ‘‘ Missionary Enterprise’’:
hearers of the everlasting Gospel. “As I had come to work one morning with- “What would you do, if I were to be blind?”
His master heard of this, and felt still more | out my square, I took up a chip and with a cried grandmother, rubbing her eyes. :
incensed. He called for him, and addressed | piece of charcoal wrote upon it a request that| ‘‘I'll tell you what to do, grandmother,” said
him with severity: ‘‘ How dare you trouble my | Mrs. Williams would send me that article. Jessie, jumping up from her playthings.
slaves? I will have no praying slaves.’ ‘‘Me|I called a chief and said to him: “What?” asked grandma. ;
no tink they are troubled, Massa. Do they| ‘‘‘Iriend, take this, go to our house and ‘Go, and tell Jesus,’”’ said Jessie; ‘‘that is
work much worse, or are they more saucy, | give it to Mrs. Williams.’ what I would do.” j
Massa?’ ‘That is nothing to you; how dare} ‘‘He was a singular looking man, remark- “Perhaps He would not cure me,”’said grand-
you trouble my slaves?”” ‘‘To tell de truth, j ably quick in his movements, and had been a| mother. ; ;
Massa, me tink dat de bread dat is good for my | great warrior; but in one of his battles he had upubeny He would help you to say, “Thy will
soul, is good for my brother; and me tink dat | lost an eye. Giving me one inexpressible look | be Aner auee en you wong ne mind it,
if it isa good ting for me to escape hell, it is] with the other, he said i grandma,” said the sweet little girl.
good for brother; and if heaven is a good place “<Take that! she will call mors fool and Sage eg :
for me, it isa good place for brother; and me|scold me, if I carry a chip to her. : Aw old clergyman said: ‘‘When I come to
4 a ay ink dat if m ‘©tNo,’ I replied, ‘she will not; take it and|die I shall have my greatest grief and my
pray for my rich Massa, and me tin M\| : . mea 2 i
rich Massa would once go and hear de mission- | go immediately; I am in haste. greatest joy; my greatest grief that I have
ary, h ld al © afterwards.” This} ‘He took it from me and asked, ‘What must | done so little for the Lord Jesus, and my great-
Yi) SS NEG G tence: he|Lsay?’? Lreplied, “You have nothing to say;|est joy that the Lord Jesus has done so much
Was to much for the master’s patience; he} say! © lIwish? With a look of If i
banged the door, and sent him away. the chip will say all 1 wish. With a look of | Zor me.

Sam was a servant in a gentleman's family
in Jamaica. Though a slave he had a com-
fortable situation, and little to do except to wait
upon his master. He excelled in playing on a