Page:Eleventh annual report of the Association for the Religious Instruction of the Negroes, in Liberty County, Georgia.djvu/21

17 their childrens', arid having nothing whole or clean, they satisfy themselves with that excuse. Others embrace the day to visit their friends socially or for business purposes. The visiting is not done ordinarily on the Sabbath, but on Saturday evening, and they return home on Sabbath evening, or Monday morning. Others spend the day in strolling about the fields and swamps and woods with their dogs, after more honest people have gone to Church, and sometimes commit depredations upon cattle and hogs and sheep. Such misconduct must be regulated by the police of the County. But the great reason, is indifference to religion. Were the spirit of the Lord abroad amongst us with his convicting, converting and sanctifying influences, all other causes for the neglect of His worship in His sanctuaries, would lose their power. We never had such overflowing congregations as during the period of revival from 1838 to 1841.

Within my knowledge there is not a Planter in our District of the County who interposes the least obstacle to the attendance of his people on public worship. So far from it, it is the desire of every one that his people should attend. Nor do I know of any Plantation upon which the work is so weighty as to unfit the people for public worship. The labour of the negroes ends with the evening twilight in a vast majority of cases, even in Winter, before the sun is down: and universally so in the warmer seasons of the year, and for weeks together, they have as their own, hours of sunlight every day. There are cases of exception in particular seasons and in particular kinds of work, but they are infrequent and continue but a short time. We have no night work. Cotton cultivation does not require it. From the close of the labours of one day to the beginning of the labours of another, the time of the people is their own. I know of no Planter who is so indifferent to the Law of God, or to the good opinion of his fellow-citizens, or to his own character and interests, or to the happiness of his people as to allowance them on the Sabbath day. Nor do I know of an individual that requires any labour from his people on the Sabbath beyond ordinary and necessary attention to stock and household duties. The plantation people are all at leisure, and the family servants take turns to remain at home on the Sabbath.

So far as the feelings of the Planters, and the labours of the people are concerned, there exists no ground for their neglect of public worship. But do we not see this neglect

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