214 BLACK PREACHER. [CHAP. XXXVI. 



Professor, &quot; for believing that Adam was the forefather of all the 

 Africans, had he only conceded that the fairest of her daughters, 

 Eve, never could have been a negress.&quot; 



Toward the close of the discourse, the minister said &quot; that a 

 protracted meeting would soon be held ; but such assemblies 

 were, in his judgment, becoming too frequent.&quot; He also an 

 nounced that on Easter Sunday there would be a love-feast, 

 which no doubt would be very crowded, &quot; and where I hope you 

 will all enjoy yourselves.&quot; He then said, &quot; Sirs and Madams, I 

 have now to warn you of a serious matter, but I see many of 

 you are nodding, and let every one wake up his neighbor. The 

 sexton, poor man, has more than he can do.&quot; This official, by 

 the way, had been administering with his cane many admonitory 

 taps on the heads of the younger part of the congregation, such 

 as must have precluded them from napping for some time, if 

 their skulls are not harder than those of their white brethren. 

 There was a general stir, and two fat negro women, between 

 whom my wife was wedged in (for the two sexes sat on separate 

 sides), looked to see if she was awake. &quot; There is a storm 

 brewing,&quot; said the preacher, &quot;owing to some late doings in Ohio, 

 and I hope that none of the membership will get themselves into 

 a scrape.&quot; The exciting topic on which he then enlarged was 

 the late seizure, or kidnaping, as it was termed, of Jerry Phin- 

 ney, who, after residing some years in Ohio, had been reclaimed 

 by the heirs of his owners, in consequence of some flaw in his 

 letters of freedom, and brought back to Kentucky. An attempt 

 at a rescue was for a time apprehended, but 500 dollars were 

 soon raised and paid to secure his release. 



When I commended the action of the black preacher as grace 

 ful, I was assured that he had successfully imitated an eminent 

 American player who had lately performed at Louisville. These 

 blacks,&quot; said my informant, &quot; are such inimitable mimics, that 

 they will sometimes go through a whole sermon in the same 

 style as they have heard delivered by a white man, only appear 

 ing somewhat to caricature it, because they are more pompous 

 and declamatory ; which in them is quite natural, for they are a 

 more demonstrative race than we are. If he addresses them in 



