----------------------------------------
---------  ,transcriber's note3         
,obvious typographic errors have been   
corrected4                              
----------------------------------------
---------      ,,john ,,jasper    ,the  
,unmatched ,negro  ,philosopher and     
,preacher    ,by  ,,william ,e4         
,,hatcher1 ,,ll4 ,d4    ,illustration3  
logo    ,,new ,,york     ,,chicago      
,,toronto  ,fleming ,h4 ,revell ,company
  ,,london ,,and ,,edinburgh            
,copyright1 #aijh1 by  ,,fleming ,h4    
,,revell ,,company    ,new ,york3 #aeh  
,fifth ,avenue  ,chicago3 #ag ,north    
,wabash ,ave4  ,london3 #ba ,paternoster
 ,square  ,edinburgh3 #ge ,princes      
,street          ,,contents             
,,introduction                          
#g    ,i4    ,,jasper ,,presented       
#ae    ,,ii4   ,,jasper ,,has ,a        
,,thrilling ,,conversion                
#bc    ,,iii4  ,,how ,,jasper ,,got     
,,his ,,schooling                    #cj
    ,,iv4   ,,the ,,slave ,,preacher    

#cf    ,v4    8,,whar ,,sin ,,kum       
,,frum80                            #dg 
,,vi4   ,,jasper ,,set ,,free           
#eh    ,,vii4  ,,the ,,picture-,,maker  
#fe    ,,viii4 ,,jasper',s ,,star       
,,witness                           #gb 
,,ix4   ,,jasper',s ,,sermon ,,on 8,,dem
 ,,sebun ,,wimmin0           #hi    ,x4 
,,jasper ,,glimpsed ,,under ,,various   
,,lights            #id    ,,xi4        
,,sermon3--,,the ,,stone ,,cut ,,out    
,,of ,,the ,,mountain     #ajh    ,,xii4
  ,,facts ,,concerning ,,the ,,sermon   
,,on ,,the ,,sun         #aba    ,,xiii4
 ,,the ,,sun ,,do ,,move                
#acc    ,,xiv4  ,,one ,,jasper ,,day    
,,in ,,the ,,spring ,,time ,,of #ahgh   
#aej    ,,xv4   ,,jasper',s ,,picture   
,,of ,,heaven                     #agd  
,,introduction      ,reader2 stay a     
moment4 ,a word with you before you     
begin to sample this  book4 ,we will    
tell you some things in advance1 which  
may help you to  decide whether it is   
worth while to read any further4 ,these 

pages  deal with a negro1 and are not   
designed either to help or to hurt  the 
negro race4 ,they have only to do with  
one man4 ,he was one of a               
class1--without pedigree1 and really    
without successors1 except that he  was 
so dominant and infectious that numbers 
of people affected his ways  and dreamed
 that they were one of his sort4 ,as a  
fact1 they were simply  of another and  
of a baser sort4    ,the man in question
 was a negro1 and if you cannot         
appreciate greatness  in a black skin   
you would do well to turn your thoughts 
into some other  channel4 ,moreover1 he 
was a negro covered over with ante      
bellum habits  and ways of doing4 ,he   
lived forty years before the war and for
 about  forty years after it4 ,he grew  
wonderfully as a freeman2 but he never  
grew away from the tastes1 dialects1 and
 manners of the bondage times4  ,he was 
a man left over from the old rgime and  
never got infected with  the new order4 
,the air of the educated negro preacher 

didn't set well  upon him4 ,the raw     
scholarship of the new 8ish10 as he     
called it1 was  sounding brass to him4  
,as a fact1 the new generation of negro 
preachers  sent out by the schools drew 
back from this man4 ,they branded him as
  an anachronism1 and felt that his     
presence in the pulpit was a shock  to  
religion and an offense to the ministry2
 and yet not one of them  ever attained 
the celebrity or achieved the results   
which came to this  unlettered and      
grievously ungrammatical son of ,africa4
    ,but do not be afraid that you are  
to be fooled into the fanatical camp4   
,this story comes from the pen of a     
,virginian who claims no exemption  from
 ,southern prejudices and feels no call 
to sound the praises of the  negro race4
 ,indeed1 he never intended to write    
what is contained within  the covers of 
this book4 ,it grew up spontaneously and
 most of the  contents were written     
before the book was thought of4    ,it  
is1 perhaps1 too much to expect that the

 meddlers with books will  take the ipse
 dixit of an unaccredited stranger4     
,they ought not to do  it3 they are not 
asked to do it4 ,they can go on about   
their business1  if they prefer2 but if 
they do1 they will miss the story of the
  incomparable negro of the ,south4     
,this is said with sobriety and after a 
half century spent in close observation 
of the negro race4    ,more than that1  
the writer of this never had any        
intention of  bothering with this man   
when he first loomed up into notoriety4 
,he got  drawn in unexpectedly4 ,he     
heard that there was a marvel of a man  
8over  in ,africa10 a not too savoury   
portion of ,richmond1 ,virginia1--and   
one  ,sunday afternoon in company with a
 ,scot-,irishman1 who was a scholar  and
 a critic1 with a strong leaning towards
 ridicule1 he went to hear  him preach4 
,shades of our ,anglo-,saxon fathers6   
,did mortal lips ever  gush with such   
torrents of horrible ,english6 ,hardly a
 word came out  clothed and in its right

 mind4 ,and gestures6 ,he circled around
 the  pulpit with his ankle in his hand2
 and laughed and sang and shouted  and  
acted about a dozen characters within   
the space of three minutes4  ,meanwhile1
 in spite of these things1 he was       
pouring out a gospel  sermon1 red hot1  
full of love1 full of invective1 full of
 tenderness1  full of bitterness1 full  
of tears1 full of every passion that    
ever  flamed in the human breast4 ,he   
was a theatre within himself1 with the  
stage crowded with actors4 ,he was a    
battle-field2--himself the general1  the
 staff1 the officers1 the common        
soldiery1 the thundering artillery  and 
the rattling musketry4 ,he was the      
preacher2 likewise the church  and the  
choir and the deacons and the           
congregation4 ,the ,scot-,irishman      
surrendered in fifteen minutes after the
 affair commenced1 but the  other man   
was hard-hearted and stubborn and       
refused to commit himself4  ,he         
preferred to wait until he got out of   

doors and let the wind blow  on him and 
see what was left4 ,he determined to go 
again2 and he went  and kept going1 off 
and on1 for twenty years4 ,that was     
before the negro  became a national     
figure4 ,it was before he startled his  
race with his  philosophy as to the     
rotation of the sun4 ,it was before he  
became a  lecturer and a sensation1     
sought after from all parts of the      
country4  ,then it was that he captured 
the ,scot-,irish and the other man also4
  ,what is written here constitutes the 
gatherings of nearly a quarter  of a    
century1 and1 frankly speaking1 is a    
tribute to the brother in  black1--the  
one unmatched1 unapproachable1 and      
wonderful brother4    ,but possibly the 
reader is of the practical sort4 ,he    
would like to  get the worldly view of  
this ,african genius and to find out of 
what  stuff he was made4 ,very well2 he 
will be gratified6 ,newspapers are      
heartlessly practical4 ,they are        
grudging of editorial commendation1 and 

in ,richmond1 at the period1 they were  
sparing of references of any kind  to   
negroes4 ,you could hardly expect them  
to say anything commendatory  of a      
negro1 if he was a negro1 with odd and  
impossible notions4 ,now  this man was  
of that very sort4 ,he got it into his  
big skull that the  earth was flat1 and 
that the sun rotated2--a scientific     
absurdity6 ,but  you see he proved it by
 the ,bible4 ,he ransacked the whole    
book and got  up ever so many passages4 
,he took them just as he found them4 ,it
 never  occurred to him that the ,bible 
was not dealing with natural science1   
and that it was written in an age and   
country when astronomy was  unknown and 
therefore written in the language of the
 time4 ,intelligent  people understand  
this very well1 but this miracle of his 
race was  behind his era4 ,he took the  
,bible literally1 and1 with it in hand1 
he  fought his battles about the sun4   
,literally1 but not scientifically1 he  
proved his position1 and he gave some of

 his devout antagonists a world  of     
botheration by the tenacity with which  
he held to his views and the  power with
 which he stated his case4              
,scientifically1 he was one of the      
ancients1 but that did not interfere    
with his piety and did not at all       
eclipse his views4 ,his perfect honesty 
was most apparent in all of his         
contentions2 and1 while some laughed at 
what they called his vagaries1  those   
who knew him best respected him none the
 less1 but rather the  more1 for his    
astronomical combat4 ,there was         
something in his love of  the ,bible1   
his faith in every letter of it1 and his
 courage1 that drew  to him the good    
will and lofty respect of uncounted     
thousands and1  probably1 it might be   
said1 of uncounted millions4    ,now    
when this man died it was as the fall of
 a tower4 ,it was a crash1  heard and   
felt farther than was the collapse of   
the famous tower at  ,venice4 ,if the   
dubious1 undecided reader has not broken

 down on the  road but has come this    
far1 he is invited to look at the       
subjoined  editorial from ,the ,richmond
 ,dispatch1 the leading morning paper of
  ,richmond1 ,va41 which published at   
the time an article on this lofty       
figure1 now national in its proportions 
and imperishable in its fame1  when it  
bowed to the solemn edict of death4     
7,from ,the ,richmond ,dispatch7        
8,it is a sad coincidence that the      
destruction of the ,jefferson           
,hotel and the death of the ,rev4 ,john 
,jasper should have fallen       upon   
the same day4 ,john ,jasper was a       
,richmond ,institution1 as       surely 
so as was ,major ,ginter's fine hotel4  
,he was a national       character1 and 
he and his philosophy were known from   
one end       of the land to the other4 
,some people have the impression that   
,john ,jasper was famous simply because 
he flew in the face of the              
scientists and declared that the sun    
moved4 ,in one sense1 that is           

true1 but it is also true that his fame 
was due1 in great measure1       to a   
strong personality1 to a deep1 earnest  
conviction1 as well as       to a devout
 ,christian character4 ,some preachers  
might have made       this assertion    
about the sun's motion without having   
attracted       any special attention4  
,the people would have laughed over it1 
and the incident would have passed by as
 a summer breeze4 ,but       ,john      
,jasper made an impression upon his     
generation1 because he       was        
sincerely and deeply in earnest in all  
that he said4 ,no man       could talk  
with him in private1 or listen to him   
from the pulpit1       without being    
thoroughly convinced of that fact4 ,his 
implicit       trust in the ,bible and  
everything in it1 was beautiful and     
impressive4 ,he had no other lamp by    
which his feet were guided4       ,he   
had no other science1 no other          
philosophy4 ,he took the ,bible       in
 its literal significance2 he accepted  

it as the inspired word       of ,god2  
he trusted it with all his heart and    
soul and mind2 he       believed nothing
 that was in conflict with the teachings
 of the       ,bible--scientists and    
philosophers and theologians to the     
contrary       notwithstanding4         
8#8,they tried to make it appear1' said 
he1 in the last talk we       had with  
him on the subject1 #8that ,john ,jasper
 was a fool and a       liar when he    
said that the sun moved4 ,i paid no     
attention to it       at first1 because 
,i did not believe that the so-called   
scientists       were in earnest4 ,i did
 not think that there was any man in the
       world fool enough to believe that
 the sun did not move1 for              
everybody had seen it move4 ,but when ,i
 found that these so-called             
scientists were in earnest ,i took down 
my old ,bible and proved       that     
they1 and not ,john ,jasper1 were the   
fools and the liars4' ,and       there  
was no more doubt in his mind on that   

subject than there       was of his     
existence4 ,john ,jasper had the faith  
that removed       mountains4 ,he knew  
the literal ,bible as well as ,bible    
scholars       did4 ,he did not         
understand it from the scientific point 
of view1       but he knew its teachings
 and understood its spirit1 and he      
believed in it4 ,he accepted it as the  
true word of ,god1 and he       preached
 it with unction and with power4        
8,john ,jasper became famous by         
accident1 but he was a most             
interesting man apart from his solar    
theory4 ,he was a man of deep           
convictions1 a man with a purpose in    
life1 a man who earnestly       desired 
to save souls for heaven4 ,he followed  
his divine calling       with           
faithfulness1 with a determination1 as  
far as he could1 to       make the ways 
of his ,god known unto men1 ,his saving 
health among       all nations4 ,and the
 ,lord poured upon ,his servant1        
,jasper1 #8the       continual dew of   

,his blessing4'0          ,i    ,,jasper
 ,,presented      ,john ,jasper1 the    
negro preacher of ,richmond1 ,virginia1 
stands  preminent among the preachers of
 the negro race in the ,south4 ,he was  
for fifty years a slave1 and a preacher 
during twenty-five years of  his        
slavery1 and distinctly of the old      
plantation type4 ,freedom came          
full-handed to him1 but it did not in   
any notable degree change him in  his   
style1 language1 or manner of preaching4
 ,he was the ante bellum  preacher until
 eighty-nine years of age1 when he      
preached his last  sermon on            
8,regeneration10 and with quiet dignity 
laid off his mortal  coil and entered   
the world invisible4 ,he was the last of
 his type1 and  we shall not look upon  
his like again4 ,it has been my         
cherished purpose  for some time to     
embalm the memory of this extraordinary 
genius in some  form that would preserve
 it from oblivion4 ,i would give to the 
,american  people a picture of the      

,god-made preacher who was great in his 
bondage  and became immortal in his     
freedom4    ,this is not to be done in  
biographic form1 but rather in vagrant  
articles which find their kinship only  
in the fact that they present  some     
distinct view of a man1 hampered by     
early limitations1 denied the  graces of
 culture1 and cut off even from the     
advantages of a common  education1 but  
who was munificently endowed by nature1 
filled with  vigour and self-reliance1  
and who achieved greatness in spite of  
almost  limitless adversities4 ,i       
account him genuinely great among the   
sons of  men1 but ,i am quite sure that 
the public can never apprehend the force
  and gist of his rare manhood without  
first being made acquainted with        
certain facts appertaining to his early 
life4    ,jasper was born a slave4 ,he  
grew up on a plantation and was a toiler
 in  the fields up to his manhood4 ,when
 he came to ,richmond1 now grown to  a  
man1 he was untutored1 full of dangerous

 energies1 almost gigantic  in his      
muscle1 set on pleasure1 and without the
 fear of ,god before his  eyes4 ,from   
his own account of himself1 he was fond 
of display1 a gay  coxcomb among the    
women of his race1 a fun-maker by       
nature1 with a  self-assertion that made
 him a leader within the circles of his 
freedom4    ,we meet him first as one of
 the 8hands0 in the tobacco factory of  
,mr4 ,samuel ,hargrove1 an enterprising 
and prosperous manufacturer in  the city
 of ,richmond4 ,jasper occupied the     
obscure position of 8a  stemmer10--which
 means that his part was to take the    
well-cured tobacco  leaf and eliminate  
the stem1 with a view to preparing what 
was left to  be worked into 8the plug0  
which is the glory of the               
tobacco-chewer4  ,this position had one 
advantage for this quick-witted and     
alert young  slave4 ,it threw him into  
contact with a multitude of his own     
race1 and  as nature had made him a     
lover of his kind his social qualities  

found  ample scope for exercise4 ,in his
 early days he went at a perilous pace  
and found in the path of the sinful many
 fountains of common joy4  ,indeed1 he  
made evil things fearfully fascinating  
by the zestful and  remorseless way in  
which he indulged them4    ,it was      
always a joy renewed for him to tell the
 story of his  conversion4 ,as described
 by him1 his initial religious          
experiences1  while awfully mystical and
 solemn to him1 were grotesque and      
ludicrous  enough4 ,they partook of the 
extravagances of the times1 yet were so 
honest in their nature1 and so soundly  
,scriptural in their doctrines1  and so 
reverential in their tone1 that not even
 the most captious  sceptic could hear  
him tell of them1 in his moments of     
exalted  inspiration1 without feeling   
profoundly moved by them4    ,it ought  
to be borne in mind that this odd and   
forcible man was a  preacher in         
,richmond for a half century1 and that  
during all that  time1 whether in       

slavery or in freedom1 he lived up to   
his religion1  maintaining his          
integrity1 defying the unscrupulous     
efforts of jealous  foes to destroy him1
 and walking the high path of spotless  
and  incorruptible honour4 ,not that he 
was always popular among his race4 ,he  
was too decided1 too aggressive1 too    
intolerant towards meanness1 and  too   
unpitying in his castigation of vice1 to
 be popular4 ,his life1 in  the nature  
of the case1 had to be a warfare1 and it
 may be truly said  that he slept with  
his sword buckled on4    ,emancipation  
did not turn his head4 ,he was the same 
high-minded1  isolated1 thoughtful      
,jasper4 ,his way of preaching became an
 offense to  the 8edicated0 preachers of
 the new order1 and with their new sense
  of power these double-breasted1       
,prince-,albert-coated1 high hat and    
kid-gloved clergymen needed telescopes  
to look as far down as ,jasper  was1 to 
get a sight of him4 ,they verily thought
 that it would be a  simple process to  

transfix him with their sneers1 and     
flaunt their  new grandeurs before him1 
in order to annihilate him4 ,many of    
these  new-fledged preachers1 who came  
from the schools to be pastors in       
,richmond1 resented ,jasper's prominence
 and fame4 ,they felt that he was  a    
reproach to the race1 and they did not  
fail to fling at him their  flippant    
sneers4    ,but ,jasper's mountain stood
 strong4 ,he looked this new tribe of   
his  adversaries over and marked them as
 a calcimined and fictitious type  of   
culture4 ,to him they were shop-made and
 unworthy of respect4 ,they  called     
forth the storm of his indignant wrath4 
,he opened his batteries  upon them1    
and1 for quite a while1 the thunder of  
his guns fairly  shook the steeples on  
the other negro churches of ,richmond4  
,and yet it  will never do to think of  
him as the incarnation of a vindictive  
and  malevolent spirit4 ,he dealt       
terrific blows1 and it is hardly too    
much  to say that many of his           

adversaries found it necessary to get   
out of  the range of his guns4 ,but1    
after all1 there was a predominant good 
nature about him4 ,his humour was       
inexhaustible1 and irresistible as      
well4 ,if by his fiery denunciations he 
made his people ready to 8fight         
,philip10 he was quite apt before he    
finished to let fly some of his odd     
comparisons1 his laughable stories1 or  
his humorous mimicries4 ,he could  laugh
 off his own grievances1 and could make 
his own people 8take the  same          
medicine40    ,jasper was something of a
 hermit1 given to seclusion1            
imperturbably  calm in his manner1 quite
 ascetic in his tastes1 and a cormorant 
in  his devouring study of the ,bible4  
,naturally1 ,jasper was as proud as     
,lucifer1--too proud to be egotistic and
 too candid and self-assertive  to      
affect a humility which he did not feel4
 ,he walked heights where  company was  
scarce1 and seemed to love his solitude4
 ,jasper was as  brave as a lion and    

possibly not a little proud of his      
bravery4 ,he  fought in the open and set
 no traps for his adversaries4 ,he      
believed in  himself1--felt the dignity 
of his position1 and never let himself  
down  to what was little or unseemly4   
,the most remarkable fact in ,jasper's  
history is connected with his           
extraordinary performances in connection
 with his tersely expressed             
theory1--,,the ,,sun ,,do ,,move6 ,we   
would think in advance that any man who 
would come forward to champion that view
 would be hooted out of court4  ,it was 
not so with ,jasper4 ,his bearing       
through all that excitement was  so     
dignified1 so sincere1 so consistent and
 heroic1 that he actually  did win the  
rank of a true philosopher4 ,this       
result1 so surprising1  is possibly the 
most handsome tribute to his inherent   
excellence and  nobility of character4  
,one could not fail to see that his     
fight on  a technical question was so   
manifestly devout1 so filled with zeal  

for the honour of religion1 and so      
courageous in the presence of           
overwhelming odds1 that those who did   
not agree with him learned to  love and 
honour him4    ,the sensation which he  
awakened fairly flew around the country4
 ,it is  said that he preached the      
sermon #bej times1 and it would be hard 
to  estimate how many thousands of      
people heard him4 ,the papers1 religious
  and secular1 had much to say about    
him4 ,many of them published his        
sermons1 some of them at first plying   
him with derision1 but about  all of    
them rounding up with the admission of a
 good deal of faith in  ,jasper4 ,so    
vast was his popularity that a mercenary
 syndicate once  undertook to traffic on
 his popularity by sending him forth as 
a public  lecturer4 ,the movement proved
 weak on its feet1 and after a little   
travel he hobbled back richer in        
experience than in purse4    ,as seen in
 the pulpit or in the street ,jasper was
 an odd picture to  look upon4 ,his     

figure was uncouth2 he was rather       
loosely put together2  his limbs were   
fearfully long and his body strikingly  
short1--a sort  of nexus to hold his    
head and limbs in place4 ,he was black1 
but his  face saved him4 ,it was open1  
luminous1 thoughtful1 and in moments  of
 animation it glowed with a radiance and
 exultation that was most  attractive4  
,jasper's career as a preacher after the
 war was a poem4 ,the story is  found   
later on and marks him as a man of rare 
originality1 and of  patience born of a 
better world4 ,he left a church almost  
entirely  the creation of his own       
productive life1 that holds a high rank 
in  ,richmond and that time will find it
 hard to estrange from his spirit  and  
influence4 ,for quite a while he was    
hardly on coperative terms  with the    
neighbouring churches1 and it is        
possible that he ought to  share        
somewhat in the responsibility for the  
estrangement which so  long             
existed2--though it might be safely said

 that if they had left  ,jasper alone he
 would not have bothered them4 ,let it  
be said that the  animosities of those  
days gradually gave away to the gracious
 and  softening influence of time1 and1 
when his end came1 all the churches  and
 ministers of the city most cordially   
and lovingly united in  honouring his   
memory4    ,it may betoken the regard in
 which ,jasper was held by the white    
people  if ,i should be frank enough to 
say that ,i was the pastor of the ,grace
  ,street ,baptist ,church1 one of the  
largest ecclesiastical bodies in the    
city at the time of ,jasper's death1 and
 the simple announcement in  the morning
 papers that ,i would deliver an address
 in honour of this  negro preacher who  
had been carried to his grave during the
 previous  week brought together a      
representative and deeply sympathetic   
audience  which overflowed the largest  
church auditorium in the city4 ,with the
  utmost affection and warmth ,i put    
forth my lofty appreciation of this     

wonderful prince of his tribe1 and so   
far as known there was never an  adverse
 criticism offered as to the propriety  
or justice of the tribute  which was    
paid him4    ,it is of this unusual man1
 this prodigy of his race1 and this     
eminent  type of the ,christian negro1  
that the somewhat random articles of    
this  volume are to treat4 ,his life    
jumped the common grooves and ran on    
heights not often trod4 ,his life went  
by bounds and gave surprises with  each 
succeeding leap4          ,,ii          
,,jasper ,,has ,a ,,thrilling           
,,conversion      ,let us bear in mind  
that at the time of his conversion ,john
 ,jasper  was a slave1 illiterate and   
working in a tobacco factory in         
,richmond4  ,it need hardly be said that
 he shared the superstitions and        
indulged  in the extravagances of his   
race1 and these in many cases have been 
so blatant and unreasonable that they   
have caused some to doubt the  negro's  
capacity for true religion4 ,but from   

the beginning ,jasper's  religious      
experiences showed forth the ,lord      
,jesus as their source and  centre4 ,his
 thoughts went to the ,cross4 ,his hope 
was founded on the  sacrificial blood1  
and his noisy and rhapsodic             
demonstrations sounded a  distinct note 
in honour of his ,redeemer4    ,jasper's
 conviction as to his call to the       
ministry was clear-cut  and intense4 ,he
 believed that his call came straight   
from ,god4 ,his  boast and glory was    
that he was a ,god-made preacher4 ,in   
his fierce  warfares with the educated  
preachers of his race--8the new issue10 
as he contemptuously called them--he    
rested his claim on the ground  that    
,god had put him into the ministry2 and 
so reverential1 so full of  noble       
assertion and so irresistibly eloquent  
was he in setting forth  his ministerial
 authority that even his most sceptical 
critics were  constrained to admit that1
 like ,john the ,baptist1 he was 8a man 
sent  from ,god40    ,and yet ,jasper   

knew the human side of his call4 ,it was
 a part of his  greatness that he could 
see truth in its relations and          
completeness1  and while often he       
presented one side of a truth1 as if it 
were all  of it1 he also saw the other  
side4 ,with him a paradox was not a     
contradiction4 ,he gratefully recognized
 the human influences which  helped him 
to enter the ministry4 ,while preaching 
one ,sunday afternoon  ,jasper suddenly 
stopped1 his face lighted as with a     
vision1 a rich  laugh rippled from his  
lips while his eyes flashed with soulful
 fire4  ,he then said1 in a manner never
 to be reported3 8,mars ,sam ,hargrove  
called me to preach de ,gospel--he was  
my old marster1 and he started  me out  
wid my message40 ,instantly the audience
 quivered with quickened  attention1 for
 they knew at once that the man in the  
pulpit had  something great to tell4    
8,i was seekin' ,god six long           
weeks--jes' 'cause ,i was sich a fool ,i
  couldn't see de way4 ,de ,lord struck 

me fus' on ,cap'tal ,squar'1 an' ,i     
left thar badly crippled4 ,one ,july    
mornin' somethin' happen'd4 ,i was a    
tobarker-stemmer--dat is1 ,i took de    
tobarker leaf1 an' tor'd de stem  out1  
an' dey won't no one in dat fac'ry could
 beat me at dat work4  ,but dat mornin' 
de stems wouldn't come out to save me1  
an' ,i tor'd up  tobarker by de poun'   
an' flung it under de table4 ,fac' is1  
bruthr'n1  de darkness of death was in  
my soul dat mornin'4 ,my sins was piled 
on  me like mount'ns2 my feet was       
sinkin' down to de reguns of despar1 an'
  ,i felt dat of all sinners ,i was de  
wust4 ,i tho't dat ,i would die right   
den1 an' wid what ,i supposed was my    
lars breath ,i flung up to heav'n  a cry
 for mercy4 ',fore ,i kno'd it1 de light
 broke2 ,i was light as a  feather2 my  
feet was on de mount'n2 salvation rol'd 
like a flood thru  my soul1 an' ,i felt 
as if ,i could 'nock off de fact'ry roof
 wid my  shouts4    8,but ,i sez to     
mysef1 ,i gwine to hol' still till      

dinner1 an' so ,i cried1  an' laffed1   
an' tore up de tobarker4 ,pres'ntly ,i  
looked up de table1  an' dar was a old  
man--he luv me1 an' tried hard to lead  
me out de  darkness1 an' ,i slip roun'  
to whar he was1 an' ,i sez in his ear as
 low  as ,i could3 #8,hallelujah2 my    
soul is redeemed6' ,den ,i jump back    
quick  to my work1 but after ,i once    
open my mouf it was hard to keep it shet
  any mo'4 ',twan' long 'fore ,i looked 
up de line agin1 an' dar was a good  ol'
 woman dar dat knew all my sorrers1 an' 
had been prayin' fur me all  de time4   
,der was no use er talkin'2 ,i had to   
tell her1 an' so ,i skip  along up quiet
 as a breeze1 an' start'd to whisper in 
her ear1 but just  den de holin-back    
straps of ,jasper's breachin' broke1 an'
 what ,i tho't  would be a whisper was  
loud enuf to be hearn clean 'cross      
,jeems ,river  to ,manchester4 ,one man 
sed he tho't de factory was fallin'     
down2 all ,i  know'd ,i had raise my    
fust shout to de glory of my ,redeemer4 

8,but for one thing thar would er been a
 jin'ral revival in de fact'ry  dat     
mornin'4 ,dat one thing was de overseer4
 ,he bulg'd into de room1 an'  wid a    
voice dat sounded like he had his       
breakfus dat mornin' on rasps  an'      
files1 bellowed out3 #8,what's all dis  
row 'bout8' ,somebody shouted  out dat  
,john ,jasper dun got religun1 but dat  
didn't wurk 'tall wid  de boss4 ,he tell
 me to git back to my table1 an' as he  
had sumpthin'  in his hand dat looked   
ugly1 it was no time fur makin' fine    
pints1  so ,i sed3 #8,yes1 sir1 ,i will2
 ,i ain't meant no harm2 de fus taste of
  salvation got de better un me1 but    
,i'll git back to my work4' ,an' ,i     
tell you ,i got back quick4    8,bout   
dat time ,mars ,sam he come out'n his   
orfis1 an' he say3 #8,what's de  matter 
out here8' ,an' ,i hear de overseer     
tellin' him3 #8,john ,jasper kick  up a 
fuss1 an' say he dun got religun1 but ,i
 dun fix him1 an' he got  back to his   
table4' ,de devil tol' me to hate de    

overseer dat mornin'1  but de luv of    
,god was rollin' thru my soul1 an'      
somehow ,i didn't mind  what he sed4    
8,little aft'r ,i hear ,mars ,sam tell  
de overseer he want to see ,jasper4     
,mars ,sam was a good man2 he was a     
,baptis'1 an' one of de hed men of  de  
old ,fust ,church down here1 an' ,i was 
glad when ,i hear ,mars ,sam say  he    
want to see me4 ,when ,i git in his     
orfis1 he say3 #8,john1 what was de     
matter out dar jes' now8'--and his voice
 was sof' like1 an' it seem'd  to have a
 little song in it which play'd into my 
soul like an angel's  harp4 ,i sez to   
him3 #8,mars ,sam1 ever sence de fourth 
of ,july ,i ben  cryin' after de ,lord1 
six long weeks1 an' jes' now out dar at 
de table  ,god tuk my sins away1 an' set
 my feet on a rock4 ,i didn't mean to   
make  no noise1 ,mars ,sam1 but 'fore ,i
 know'd it de fires broke out in my     
soul1 an' ,i jes' let go one shout to de
 glory of my ,saviour4'    8,mars ,sam  
was settin' wid his eyes a little down  

to de flo'1 an' wid a  pritty quiv'r in 
his voice he say very slo'3 #8,john1 ,i 
b'leve dat way  myself4 ,i luv de       
,saviour dat you have jes' foun'1 an' ,i
 wan' to tell  you dat ,i do'n complain 
'cause you made de noise jes' now as you
 did4'  ,den ,mars ,sam did er thing dat
 nearly made me drop to de flo'4 ,he git
  out of his chair1 an' walk over to me 
and giv' me his han'1 and he  say3      
#8,john1 ,i wish you mighty well4 ,your 
,saviour is mine1 an' we are  bruthers  
in de ,lord4' ,when he say dat1 ,i turn 
'round an' put my arm  agin de wall1 an'
 held my mouf to keep from shoutin'4    
,mars ,sam well  know de good he dun me4
    8,art'r awhile he say3 #8,john1 did 
you tell eny of 'em in thar 'bout your  
conversion8' ,and ,i say3 #8,yes1 ,mars 
,sam1 ,i tell 'em fore ,i kno'd it1  an'
 ,i feel like tellin' eberybody in de   
worl' about it4' ,den he say3  #8,john1 
you may tell it4 ,go back in dar an' go 
up an' down de tables1  an' tell all of 
'em4 ,an' den if you wan' to1 go        

up-stars an' tell 'em  all 'bout it1 an'
 den down-stars an' tell de hogshed men 
an' de drivers  an' everybody what de   
,lord has dun for yor4'    8,by dis time
 ,mars ,sam's face was rainin' tears1   
an' he say3 #8,john1  you needn' work no
 mo' to-day4 ,i giv' you holiday4 ,aft'r
 you git thru  tellin' it here at de    
fact'ry1 go up to de house1 an' tell    
your folks2  go roun' to your           
neighbours1 an' tell dem2 go enywhere   
you wan' to1 an'  tell de good news4    
,it'll do you good1 do dem good1 an'    
help to hon'r  your ,lord an' ,saviour4'
    8,oh1 dat happy day6 ,can ,i ever   
forgit it8 ,dat was my conversion       
mornin'1 an' dat day de ,lord sent me   
out wid de good news of de  kingdom4    
,for mo' den forty years ,i've ben      
tellin' de story4 ,my step is  gittin'  
ruther slo'1 my voice breaks down1 an'  
sometimes ,i am awful  tired1 but still 
,i'm tellin' it4 ,my lips shall proclaim
 de dyin' luv of  de ,lam' wid my las'  
expirin' breath4    8,ah1 my dear ol'   

marster6 ,he sleeps out yonder in de ol'
 cemetery1 an'  in dis worl' ,i shall   
see his face no mo'1 but ,i don't forgit
 him4 ,he  give me a holiday1 an' sent  
me out to tell my friends what great    
things  ,god had dun for my soul4 ,oft'n
 as ,i preach ,i feel that ,i'm doin'   
what  my ol' marster tol' me to do4 ,if 
he was here now1 ,i think he would  lif'
 up dem kin' black eyes of his1 an' say3
 #8,dat's right1 ,john2 still  tellin'  
it2 fly like de angel1 an' wherever you 
go carry de ,gospel to  de people4'     
,farewell1 my ol' marster1 when ,i lan' 
in de heav'nly city1  ,i'll call at your
 mansion dat de ,lord had ready for you 
when you got  dar1 an' ,i shall say3    
#8,mars ,sam1 ,i did what you tol' me1  
an' many of  'em is comin' up here wid  
da' robes wash'd in de blood of de ,lam'
 dat  was led into de way by my         
preachin'1 an' as you started me ,i want
 you  to shar' in de glory of da'       
salvation4' ,an' ,i tell you what ,i    
reck'n1  dat when ,mars ,sam sees me1   

he'll say3 #8,john1 call me marster no  
mo'3  we're bruthers now1 an' we'll live
 forever roun' de throne of ,god4'0     
,this is ,jasper's story1 but largely in
 his own broken words4 ,when he  told   
it1 it swept over the great crowd like a
 celestial gale4 ,the  people seemed    
fascinated and transfigured4 ,his homely
 way of putting  the ,gospel came home  
to them4 ,let me add that his allusions 
to his old  master were in keeping with 
his kindly and conciliatory tone in all 
that he had to say about the white      
people after the emancipation of  the   
slaves4 ,he loved the white people1 and 
among them his friends and  lovers were 
counted by the thousand4          ,,iii 
,,how ,,jasper ,,got ,,his ,,schooling  
,these chapters disclaim outright any   
pretension to biography4 ,they  deal    
with a weird1 indescribable and         
mysterious genius1 standing out  in     
gloomy grandeur1 and not needing the    
setting forth of ordinary  incidents4   
,at the same time1 when an extraordinary

 man comes along and  does masterful    
things1 there be some who are ready to  
ask questions4  ,was he educated8 ,well1
 yes1 he was4 ,he had rare educational  
advantages1  not in the schools2 but    
what of that8 ,a genius has no use for a
 school1  except so far as it teaches   
him the art of thinking4 ,if we run back
 to  the boyhood of ,jasper and look him
 over we find that he had1 after all1   
distinct educational advantages4    ,it 
is another case of a good mother4 ,we   
know that her name was ,nina1  and that 
she was the wife of ,philip ,jasper1 and
 if tradition tells the  truth she was  
the mother of twenty-four children--a   
premature applicant  for the            
,rooseveltian prize4 ,john was the last1
 and was not born until  two months     
after his father's death4 ,truly grace  
as well as genius was  needed in his    
case1 or he would have struck the wrong 
road4    ,that mother was the head of   
the working women on the ,fluvanna farm 
and  learned to govern by reason of the 

position she held4 ,her appointment     
bespoke her character1 and her work     
improved it4 ,later on1 she became  in  
another home the chief of the servant   
force in a rich family4 ,it was  quite a
 good place4 ,it brought her in contact 
with cultivated people  and the         
imitative quality in the negro helped   
her to learn the manners  and to imbibe 
the spirit of the lady4 ,later on still1
 she became a  nurse to look after the  
sick at the ,negro ,quarters4 ,there she
 had to do  with doctors1 medicines and 
counsellors and helpers4 ,add to all    
this1  she was a sober1 thoughtful1     
godly woman1 and you will quite soon    
reach  the conclusion that she was a    
very excellent teacher for ,john2 and   
,john  coming latest in the domestic    
procession found her rich in experience1
  matured in motherliness1 and enlarged 
in her outlook of life4    ,john's      
father was a preacher4 ,harsh things1   
and some of them needlessly  false1 are 
said of the fact that there were no     

negro preachers in the  times of the    
slaveholding4 ,it is true1 that the laws
 of the country did  not allow          
independent organizations of negroes1   
and negro preachers  were not allowed1  
except by the consent of their masters1 
to go abroad  preaching the ,gospel4    
,they could not accept pastoral charges1
 and were  hampered1 as all must admit1 
by grievous restrictions1 but there were
  negro preachers in that day just the  
same1--scores of them1 and in one  way  
and another they had many privileges and
 did good and effective  service4 ,one  
thing about the negro preacher of the   
ante bellum era was  his high character4
 ,it is true that the owner of slaves   
was not in  all cases adapted to        
determine the moral character of the    
slave who  wanted to preach1 and too    
often1 it may be admitted1 his          
prejudices  and self-interest may have  
ruled out some men who ought to have    
been  allowed to preach4 ,it is a pity  
if this were true4 ,but this strictness 

had one advantage4 ,when the master of a
 negro man allowed him to preach  it was
 an endorsement1 acceptable and         
satisfactory1 wherever the man  went4   
,if they thought he was all right at    
home1 he could pass muster  elsewhere4  
,now1 concerning ,john's father1        
tradition has proved exceedingly        
partial4 ,it has glorified ,tina the    
mother with fine extravagance1  but it  
has cut ,philip unmercifully4 ,john     
could get little out of his  father1 for
 they were not contemporaries1 and as   
his brothers and  sisters seemed to have
 been born for oblivion1 we can trace   
little of  his distinction to the old   
household in ,fluvanna4    ,but we dare 
say that ,philip1 the preacher1         
remembered chiefly because  he was a    
preacher1 had something to do in a      
subtle way with ,john's  training4 ,nor 
must we fail to remember that ,jasper   
himself grew up  in contact with a fine 
old ,virginia family4 ,fools there be   
many who  love to talk of the shattering

 of the old aristocracy of ,virginia4   
,the  8,f4,f4,v4's0#a have been the     
sport of the vulgar1 and their downfall 
has been a tragedy which the envious    
greedily turned into a comedy4  ,but    
people ought to have some sense4 ,they  
ought to see things in  their proper    
relation4 ,they ought to know that in   
the atmosphere of  the old ,virginia    
home the negroes1 and especially those  
who served in  person the heads of the  
family1 caught the cue of the gentleman 
and  the lady4 ,i can stand on the      
streets of ,richmond to-day and pick out
  the coloured men and women who grew up
 in homes of refinement1 and who  still 
bear about them the signs of it4 ,bent  
by age1 and many of them  tortured by   
infirmity1 they still bear the marks of 
their old masters4  ,they constitute a  
class quite apart from those of later   
times and  are unequalled by them4 ,i   
rejoice in all the comforts and         
advantages  which have come to the      
negroes1--most heartily ,i thank heaven 

for  their freedom and for all that     
freedom has brought them2 but ,i do not 
hesitate to say that one of the losses  
was that contact with courtly1          
dignified1 and royal people which many  
of them had before the ,civil  ,war4    
,and even those on the plantations1     
while removed farther from the  lights  
of the great castles in which their     
masters lived1 walked not in  darkness  
entirely1 but unconsciously felt the    
transforming power of  those times4     
,john ,jasper was himself an aristocrat4
 ,his mode of dress1 his manner  of     
walking1 his lofty dignity1 all told the
 story4 ,he received an  aristocratic   
education1 and he never lost it4        
,besides this1 he had a  most varied    
experience as a slave4 ,he grew up on   
the farm1 and knew  what it was to be a 
plantation hand4 ,he learned to work in 
the tobacco  factory4 ,he worked also in
 the foundries1 and also served around  
the  houses of the families with whom he
 lived2 for it must be understood  that 

after the breaking up of the ,peachy    
family he changed owners and  lived in  
different places4 ,these things enlarged
 his scope1 and with  that keen desire  
to know things he learned at every turn 
of life4    ,after his conversion he    
became a passionate student4 ,he        
acknowledges  one who sought to teach   
him to read1 and after he became a      
preacher  he spelled out the ,bible for 
himself4 ,he was eager to hear other men
  preach and to talk with those who were
 wiser than he4 ,and so he kept on      
learning as long as he lived1 though of 
course he missed the help of  the       
schools1 and never crossed the threshold
 of worldly science in his  pursuit of  
knowledge4    ,it may be well to say    
here that ,jasper never lost his pride  
in white  people4 ,he delighted to be   
with them4 ,thousands upon thousands    
went  to hear him1 and while there was a
 strain of curiosity in many of them    
there was an under-note of respect and  
kindliness which always thrilled  his   

heart and did him good4 ,time and again 
he spoke to me personally  of white     
people1 and always with a beautiful     
appreciation4 ,it is  noteworthy that   
the old man rode his high horse when his
 house was  partly filled with white    
people1 and it would be no exaggeration 
to say  that not since the end of the   
war has any negro been so much loved or 
so thoroughly believed in as ,john      
,jasper4    ,,footnote3    #a ,first    
,families of ,virginia4          ,,iv   
,,the ,,slave ,,preacher      ,it is as 
a preacher that ,john ,jasper is most   
interesting4 ,his  personality was      
notable and full of force anywhere1 but 
the pulpit  was the stage of his chief  
performance4 ,it is worth while to bear 
in  mind that he began to preach in     
#ahci and that was twenty-five years    
before the coming of freedom4 ,for a    
quarter of a century1 therefore1  he was
 a preacher while yet a slave4 ,his     
time1 of course1 under the  law belonged
 to his master1 and under the laws of   

the period1 he could  preach only under 
very serious limitations4 ,he could go  
only when his  master said he might1 and
 he could preach only when some white   
minister  or committee was present to   
see that things were conducted in an    
orderly way4 ,this is the hard way of   
stating the case1 but there are  many   
ways of getting around such regulations4
 ,the man who could preach1  though a   
negro1 rarely failed of an opportunity  
to preach4 ,the man who  was fit for the
 work had friends who enabled him to    
8shy around0 his  limitations4    ,there
 was one thing which the negro greatly  
insisted upon1 and which  not even the  
most hard-hearted masters were ever     
quite willing to  deny them4 ,they could
 never bear that their dead should be   
put away  without a funeral4 ,not that  
they expected1 at the time of the       
burial1  to have the funeral service4   
,indeed1 they did not desire it1 and it 
was never according to their notions4 ,a
 funeral to them was a pageant4  ,it was

 a thing to be arranged for a long time 
ahead4 ,it was to be  marked by the     
gathering of the kindred and friends    
from far and wide4  ,it was not         
satisfactory unless there was a vast and
 excitable crowd4  ,it usually meant an 
all-day meeting1 and often a meeting in 
a grove1  and it drew white and black   
alike1 sometimes almost in equal        
numbers4  ,another demand in the        
case1--for the slaves knew how to make  
their  demands1--was that the negro     
preacher 8should preach the funeral10 as
  they called it4 ,in things like this1 
the wishes of the slaves generally      
prevailed4 8,the funeral0 loomed up     
weeks in advance1 and although  marked  
by sable garments1 mournful manners and 
sorrowful outcries1  it had about it    
hints of an elaborate social function   
with festive  accompaniments4 ,there was
 much staked on the fame of the         
officiating  brother4 ,he must be one of
 their own colour1 and a man of         
reputation4  ,they must have a man to   

plough up their emotional depths1 and   
they must  have freedom to indulge in   
the extravagancies of their sorrow4     
,these  demonstrations were their       
tribute to their dead and were expected 
to  be fully adequate to do honour to   
the family4    ,it was in this way that 
,jasper's fame began4 ,at first1 his    
tempestuous1  ungrammatical eloquence   
was restricted to ,richmond1 and there  
it was  hedged in with many humbling    
limitations4 ,but gradually the news    
concerning this fiery and thrilling     
orator sifted itself into the  country1 
and many invitations came for him to    
officiate at country  funerals4    ,he  
was preminently a funeral preacher4 ,a  
negro funeral without an  uproar1       
without shouts and groans1 without      
fainting women and shouting  men1       
without pictures of triumphant deathbeds
 and the judgment day1 and  without the 
gates of heaven wide open and the       
subjects of the funeral  dressed in     
white and rejoicing around the throne of

 the ,lamb1 was no  funeral at all4     
,jasper was a master from the outset at 
this work4  ,one of his favourite texts1
 as a young preacher1 was that which was
  recorded in ,revelations1 sixth       
chapter1 and second verse3 8,and ,i saw 
and beheld a white horse2 and he that   
sat upon him had a bow1 and a  crown was
 given unto him1 and he went forth      
conquering and to conquer40  ,before the
 torrent of his florid and spectacular  
eloquence the people  were swept down to
 the ground1 and sometimes for hours    
many seemed to  be in trances1 not a few
 lying as if they were dead4            
,jasper's first visit to the country as 
a preacher of which we have any  account
 was to ,hanover ,county4 ,a prominent  
and wealthy slaveholder  had the custom 
of allowing his servants to have        
imposing funerals1  when their kindred  
and friends died2 but those services    
were always  conducted by a white       
minister4 ,in some way the fame of      
,jasper had  penetrated that community1 

and one of the slaves asked his master  
to  let ,jasper come and attend the     
funeral4 ,but to this the master made   
an objection4 ,he knew nothing about    
,jasper1 and did not believe that  any  
negro was capable of preaching the      
,gospel with good effect4 ,this  negro  
was not discouraged by the refusal of   
the proprietor of the great  plantation 
to grant his request4 ,he went out and  
collected a number  of most trustworthy 
and influential negro men and they came 
in a body  to his master and renewed the
 plea4 ,they told him in their way about
  what a great man ,jasper was1 how     
anxious they were to hear him1 what a   
comfort his presence would be to the    
afflicted family1 and how thankful  they
 would be to have their request         
honoured4 ,they won their point in      
part4 ,he said to them1 as if yielding  
reluctantly1 8very well1 let him  come40
 ,they however had something more to    
say4 ,they knew ,jasper would  need to  
have a good reason in order to get his  

master's consent for  him to come1 and  
they knew that ,jasper would not come   
unless he came  under the invitation and
 protection of the white people1 and    
therefore  they asked the gentleman if  
he would not write a letter inviting him
 to  come4 ,accordingly1 in a spirit of 
compromise and courtesy very pleasing   
to the coloured people1 the letter was  
written and ,jasper came4    ,the news  
of his expected coming spread like a    
flame4 ,not only the  country people in 
large numbers1 but quite a few of the   
,richmond  people1 made ready to attend 
the great occasion4 ,jasper went out in 
a private conveyance1 the distance not  
being great1 and1 in his kind  wish to  
take along as many friends as possible1 
he overloaded the  wagon and had a      
breakdown4 ,the delay in his arrival was
 very long and  unexplained2 but still  
the people lingered and beguiled the    
time with  informal religious services4 
,at length the ,richmond celebrity      
appeared on the scene late in the  day4 

,the desire to hear him was imperative1 
and ,john ,jasper was equal  to the     
occasion4 ,late as the hour was1 and    
wearied as were the people1  he spoke   
with overmastering power4 ,the owner of 
the great company of  slaves on that    
plantation was among his hearers1 and he
 could not  resist the spell of devout  
eloquence which poured from the lips of 
the  unscholared ,jasper4 ,it was a     
sermon from the heart1 full of personal 
passion and hot with gospel fervour1 and
 the heart of the lord of  the          
plantation was powerfully moved4 ,he    
undertook to engage ,jasper to  preach  
on the succeeding ,sunday and handed the
 blushing preacher quite  a substantial 
monetary token of his appreciation4     
,the day was accounted memorable by     
reason of the impression which  ,jasper 
made4 ,indeed1 ,jasper was a master of  
assemblies4 ,no politician  could handle
 a crowd with more consummate tact than 
he4 ,he was the king  of hearts and     
could sway throngs as the wind shakes   

the trees4    ,there is a facetious     
story abroad among the negroes that in  
those days  ,jasper went to ,farmville  
to officiate on a funeral occasion where
  quite a number of the dead were to    
have their virtues commemorated  and    
where their 8mourning friends10 as      
,jasper in time came to call  them1 were
 to be comforted4 ,the news that ,jasper
 was to be there went  out on the wings 
of the wind and vast throngs attended4  
,of course1 a  white minister was       
present and understood that he was the  
master of  ceremonies4 ,the story is1   
that he felt that it would not be safe  
to  entrust an occasion so vastly       
interesting to the hands of ,jasper1 and
  he decided that he would quiet ,jasper
 and satisfy the public demands  by     
calling on ,jasper to pray4 ,as a fact1 
,jasper was about as much of  an orator 
in speaking to heaven as he was in      
speaking to mortal men4  ,his prayer had
 such contagious and irresistible       
eloquence that whatever  the ,lord did  

about it1 it surely brought quite a     
resistless response  from the crowd4    
,when the white preacher ended his tame 
and sapless  address1 the multitude     
cried out for ,jasper4 ,inspired by the 
occasion  and emboldened by the evident 
disposition to shut him out1 ,jasper    
took  fire and on eagle wings he mounted
 into the heavens and gave such a       
brilliant and captivating address that  
the vast crowd went wild with  joy and  
enthusiasm4    ,there is yet another    
story of a time when ,jasper was called 
into the  country where he and a white  
minister were to take part in one of the
  combined funerals so common at that   
time4 ,upon arriving at the church  the 
white minister was unutterably shocked  
to find that his associate  in the      
services was a negro4 ,that was too much
 for him1 and he decided  on the spot   
that if he went in1 ,jasper would have  
to stay out1 and he  decided that he    
would go in and would stay in until the 
time was over  and leave ,jasper to his 

reflections on the outside4 ,for two    
hours the  white brother beat the air1  
killed time1 and quite wearied the crowd
  by his lumbering and tiresome         
discourse4 ,after he had arrived at the 
point where it seemed that no more could
 be said1 the exhausted and  exhausting 
brother closed his sermon and was       
arranging to end the  service4 ,but the 
people would not have it so4            
,tumultuously they cried  out for       
,jasper1--a cry in which the whites     
outdid the blacks4 ,it was  not in      
,jasper to ignore such appreciation4 ,of
 all men1 he had the least  desire or   
idea of being snubbed or side-tracked4  
,with that mischievous  smile which was 
born of the jubilant courage of his     
soul1 ,jasper  came forth4 ,he knew well
 the boundaries of his rights1 and      
needed no  danger signals to warn him   
off hostile ground4 ,for fifteen or     
twenty  minutes he poured forth a       
torrent of passionate oratory1--not     
empty and  frivolous words1 but a       

message rich with comfort and help1 and 
uttered  only as he could utter it4 ,the
 effect was electrical4 ,the white      
people  crowded around him to           
congratulate and thank him1 and went    
away telling  the story of his          
greatness4    ,tradition has failed to  
give us the name of the ill-fated       
brother who  in seeking to kill time1   
seemed to have got knocked into         
oblivion4 ,it  is worth while to say    
that the white ministers were within the
 law in  attending occasions like those 
described above and felt the necessity  
of care and discretion in managing the  
exercises1 lest the hostilities  of     
irreligious people should be excited    
against the negroes4 ,it is due  to the 
white people1 and especially to that    
denomination to which ,john  ,jasper was
 associated1 to say that under their    
influence the negroes1  who were        
practically barbarians when they were   
brought into the ,south1  were civilized
 and ,christianized4 ,a large proportion

 of them were  well-mannered and        
nobly-behaved ,christians at the time   
their slavery  ended4 ,the church       
buildings were always constructed so    
that the white  people and the negroes  
could worship in the same house4 ,they  
were  baptized by the same minister1    
they sat down together at the communion 
table1 they heard the same sermons1 sang
 the same songs1 were converted  at the 
same meetings1 and were baptized at the 
same time4 ,ofttimes1 and  in almost all
 places1 they were allowed to have      
services to themselves4  ,in this1 of   
course1 they enjoyed a larger freedom   
than when they met in  the same house   
with the white people4    ,they know    
little of the facts who imagine that    
there was estrangement  and alienation  
between the negroes and the whites in   
the matter of  religion4 ,far from it4  
,there was much of good fellowship      
between  the whites and negroes in the  
churches1 and the white ministers  took 
notable interest in the religious       

welfare of the slaves4 ,they  often     
visited them pastorally and gladly      
talked with them about  their salvation4
 ,these chapters are not intended either
 to defend or  to condemn slavery2 but  
in picturing the condition of things    
which  encompassed ,jasper during the   
days of slavery1 it is worth while to   
let it be understood that it was during 
their bondage and under the  ,christian 
influence of ,southern people1 that the 
negroes of the ,south  were made a      
,christian people4 ,it was the best     
piece of missionary work  ever yet done 
upon the face of the earth4    ,another 
fact should be referred to here4 ,jasper
 was a pastor in the  ,city of          
,petersburg even before the breaking out
 of the ,civil ,war4 ,he  had charge of 
one of the less prominent negro churches
 and went over  from ,richmond for two  
,sundays in each month4 ,this1 of       
course1 showed  the enlargement of his  
liberty1 that he could take the time to 
leave  the city so often in pursuance of

 his ministerial work4    ,it need      
hardly be mentioned that his presence in
 ,petersburg brought  unusual agitation4
 ,he fairly depopulated the other negro 
churches and  drew crowds that could not
 be accommodated4 ,when it was rumoured 
that  ,jasper was to preach for the     
first time on ,sunday afternoon1 the    
,rev4  ,dr4 ,keene1 of the ,first       
,baptist ,church1 and many other white  
people  attended4 ,they were much       
concerned lest his coming should produce
  a disturbance1 and they went with the 
idea of preventing any undue            
excitement4 ,jasper1 flaming with fervid
 zeal and exhilarated with  the freedom 
of the truth1 carried everything before 
him4 ,he had not  preached long before  
the critical white people were stirred  
to the  depths of their souls and their 
emotion showed in their weeping4 ,they  
beheld and felt the wonderful power of  
the man4 ,it is said that ,dr4  ,keene  
was completely captivated1 and          
recognized in ,jasper a man whom  ,god  

had called4          ,v    8,,whar ,,sin
 ,,kum ,,frum80      ,my first sight of 
,jasper must always remain in the       
chapter of  unforgotten things4 ,the    
occasion was ,sunday afternoon1 and the 
crowd  was overflowing4 ,let me add that
 it was one of his days of spiritual    
intoxication1 and he played on every key
 in the gamut of the human soul4    ,two
 questions had been shot at him1 and    
they both took effect4 ,the  first had  
to do with creation4 ,for a half hour he
 pounded away on the  creatorship of    
,god4 ,his address was very strong and  
had in it both  argument and eloquence4 
,he marshalled the ,scriptures with     
consummate  skill1 and built an argument
 easily understood by the rudest of his 
hearers2 and yet so compact and tactful 
was he1 that his most cultured  hearers 
bent beneath his force4    ,but the     
second question brought on the          
pyrotechnics4 ,it had to do with  the   
origin of sin1--8,whar sin kum          
frum80--as he cogently put it4 ,it was  

here that a riotous liberty possessed   
him1 and he preached with every  faculty
 of his mind1 with every passion and    
sentiment of his soul1 with  every      
nerve1 every muscle1 and every feature  
of his body4 ,for nearly  an hour the   
air cracked with excitement and the     
crowd melted beneath  his spell4 ,it was
 my first experience of that unusual    
power of his to  move people in all     
possible ways by a single effort4       
,jasper knew the fundamental doctrines  
of the ,bible admirably1 and  always    
lived in vital contact with their       
essence4 ,there was a kinship  between  
the ,bible and himself1 and1 untaught of
 the schools1 he studied  himself in the
 light of the ,bible and studied the    
,bible in the darkness  of himself4     
,this kept him in contact with people   
and whenever he  preached he invaded    
their experience and made conscious     
their wants to  themselves4 ,and so it  
came to pass that questions which       
perplexed them  they had the habit of   

bringing to him4 ,this question as to   
the origin  of sin had been spurring and
 nagging some of his speculative        
hearers4  ,they had wrangled over it1   
and they unloaded their perplexity upon 
him4  ,so it was with this burden heavy 
upon him that he came to the pulpit on  
this occasion4    ,it may have been a   
touch of his dramatic art1 but at any   
rate he showed  an amiable irritation1  
in view of his being under constant fire
 from  his controversial church-members1
 and so he started in as if he had a    
grievance4 ,it gave pith and excitement 
to his bearing1 as he faced the  issue  
thus thrust upon him4 ,as a fact1 he    
knew that many inquirers  sought to     
entangle him by their questions and this
 opened the way for  his saying1 with   
cutting effect1 that they would do      
better to inquire1  8whar sin wuz gwine 
ter kerry 'em1 instid uv whar it kum    
frum40    8,an' yer wants ter know whar 
sin kum frum1 yer say4 ,why shud yer be 
broozin' eroun' wid sich a questun as   

dat8 ,dar ain' but wun place in  de     
univus uv ,gord whar yer kin git any    
infermashun on dis pint1 and  dar1 ,i am
 free ter tel yer1 yer kin git all dat  
yer wish ter know1 an'  maybe a good    
deal mo'4 ,de place whar de nollidge yer
 need kin be got  iz in de ,word uv     
,gord4 ,i knows wat sum dat hav' bin    
talkin' 'bout dis  thing iz arter4 ,i   
know de side uv de questun dey iz       
struttin' up on4  ,dey say1 or dey      
kinder hint1 dat de ,lord ,gord iz de   
orthur uv sin4  ,dat's wat dey iz       
wispurrin' roun' dis town4 ,dey can't   
fool ,jasper2 but  ,i tell you de debbul
 iz playin' pranks on um an' will drag  
um down ter  de pit uv hell1 ef dey doan
 luk out mity quick4 ,de ,lord ,gord    
know'd  frum de beginnin' dat sum uv    
dese debbullish people wud bring up dis 
very charge an' say dat ,he had tendid  
dat dar shud be sin frum de  beginnin'4 
,he done speak ,his mind 'bout dat      
thing1 an' ef yer luk in  de fust       
chaptur uv ,jeems yer'll find de solum  

uttrunce on dis subjik  an' it kleers   
,gord furevur frum dis base slandur4    
#8,let no man say1'  says de ,lord1     
#8wen he is temptid dat he is temptid uv
 ,gord1 fur ,gord  kin not be temptid uv
 any man1 an' neethur tempts ,he any    
man4' ,did yer  hear dat8 ,dat's de     
,lord's own wurds4 ,it spressly says dat
 people will  be temptid1--everybody is 
temptid2 ,i bin havin' my temptashuns   
all my  life1 an' ,i haz um yit1 a heap 
uv um1 an' sum uv um awful bad1 but yer 
ain' ketchin' ,jasper er sayin' dat     
,gord is at de bottum uv um4 ,ef ,i     
shud say it1 it wud be a lie1 an' all iz
 liars wen dey say dat ,gord  tempts um8
 ,de sinnur is gettin' towurds de wust  
wen he iz willin' ter  lay de blame uv  
hiz sins on de ,lord4 ,do it ef yer     
will1 but de cuss uv  ,gord will be     
erpun yez wen yer try ter mek de ,lord  
,gord sich es you iz2  an' ter mek      
b'liev dat de ,lord gits orf ,his throne
 an' kums down in ter  mire an' clay uv 
your wicked life an' tries ter jog an'  

ter fool yer  inter sin4 ,i trimbul ter 
think uv sich a thing6 ,i wonder dat de 
,lord  duzn't forge new thunderbolts uv 
,hiz rath an' crush de heds uv dem dat  
charge 'im wid de folly uv human sin4   
8,sum uv yer wud be mity glad ter git   
,gord mix'd up in yer sins an' ter  feel
 dat ,he iz es bad es you iz4 ,it jes'  
shows how base1 how lost1 how  ded1     
you'se bekum4 ,wudn't we hev a pritty   
,gord ef ,he wuz willin' ter  git out in
 de nite an' go plungin' down inter de  
horribul an' ruinus  transgresshuns in  
wich sum men indulg'4 ,let me kleer dis 
thing up befo'  ,i quit it4 ,bar in     
mine1 dat ,gord kin not be temptid uv   
any man4 ,try it  ef yer chuze1 an' ,he 
will fling yer in ter de lowes' hell1   
an' don't  yer dar evur ter say1 or ter 
think1 or ter hope1 dat de temtashun ter
  du rong things kum ter yer from ,gord4
 ,it do not kum frum erbuv1 but it  kum 
out uv your foul an' sinful hart4 ,dey  
iz born dar1 born uv your  bad thoughts1
 born uv your hell-born lusts1 an' dey  

gits strong in yer  'caus' yer don't    
strangul um at de start4    8,but why   
shud dar be trubble 'bout dis subjic8   
,wat duz de ,bibul say on  dis here     
mattur 'bout whar sin kum frum8 ,we kin 
git de troof out uv dat  buk1 fur it    
kuntains de ,wurd uv ,gord4 ,our ,gord  
kin not lie2 ,he nevur  hav' lied frum  
de foundashun uv de wurl'4 ,he iz de    
troof an' de life  an' ,he nevur lies4  
8,now1 wat do ,he say kunsarnin' dis    
serus questun dat is plowin' de  souls  
uv sum uv my brudderin4 ,ter de ,bibul1 
ter de ,bibul1 we'll go an'  wat do we  
git wen we git dar8 ,de ,bibul say dat  
,eve wuz obur dar in de  gardin uv ,edun
 one day an' dat she wuz dar by hersef4 
,de ,lord med ,eve1  'caus' it worn't   
gud fer ,adum ter be erloan1 an' it luks
 frum dis kase  dat it wuz not quite    
safe fer ,eve ter be lef at home by     
hersef4 ,but  ,adum worn't wid her2 doan
 know whar he wuz1--gorn bogin' orf     
sumwhars4  ,he better bin at home       
tendin' ter his fambly4 ,dat ain' de    

only time1 by  a long shot1 dat dar haz 
bin de debbul ter pay at home wen de man
 hev  gorn gaddin' eroun'1 instid uv    
stayin' at home an' lookin' arter hiz   
fambly4    8,while ,eve wuz sauntrin'   
an' roamin' eroun' in de buterful       
gardin1 de  ole sarpint1 dyked up ter   
kill1 kum gallervantin' down de road an'
 he  kotch'd site uv ,eve an' luk lik he
 surpriz'd very much but not sorry  in  
de leas'4 ,now yer mus' kno' dat ole    
sarpint wuz de trickies' an'  de arties'
 uv all de beas' uv de feil'1--de ole   
debbul1 dat's wat he  wuz4 ,an' wat he  
do but go struttin' up ter ,eve in a    
mity frien'ly way1  scrapin' an' bowin' 
lik a fool ded in luv4    8#8,how yer   
do8' ,he tries ter be perlite1 an' puts 
on hiz sweetes' airs4  ,oh1 dat wuz an  
orful momint in de life uv ,eve an' in  
de histurry uv dis  po' los' wurl uv    
ours4 ,in dat momint de pizun eat thru  
her flesh1 struk  in her blud1 an' went 
ter her hart4 ,at fust she wuz kinder   
shame'2 but  she wuz kinder loansum1 an'

 she wuz pleas'd an' tickl'd ter git    
notic'd  in dat way an' so she stay'd   
dar instid uv runnin' fer her life4     
8#8,ve'y wel1 ,i thanks yer1' she say   
ertremblin'1 #8how iz you dis  mornin'8'
 ,de sarpint farly shouts wid joy4 ,he  
dun got her tenshun an'  she lek ter    
hear 'im1 an' he feel he got hiz chanz  
an' so goes on3    8#8,nice gardin yer  
got dar1' he say in er admirin' way4    
#8,yer got heap uv  nice appuls obur    
dar4'    8#8,oh1 yes1 indeed1' ,eve     
replies4 #8,we got lots uv um4'    8,eve
 spoke dese wurds lik she wuz proud ter 
deth 'caus' de sarpint lik  de gardin4  
,dar stood de sarpint ve'y quiut tel1   
suddin lek1 he juk  eroun' an' he says  
ter ,eve3--    8#8,kin yer eat all de   
appuls yer got obur dar8'    8#8,no1    
hindeed1' says ,eve1 #8we can't eat um  
all4 ,we got moar'n we kin  'stroy save 
our lives4 ,dey gittin' ripe all de     
time2 we hev jus'  hogshids uv um4'     
8#8,oh1 ,i didn't mean dat1' spoke de   
sarpint1 es ef shock'd by not bein'     

understud4 #8,my p'int iz1 iz yer 'low'd
 ter eat um all8 ,dat's wat ,i want  ter
 know4 ,as ter yer laws an' rites in de 
gardin1 duz dey all sute yer8'    8,fer 
a minnit de 'oman jump'd same es if     
sumbudy struk her a blow4  ,de col'     
chils run down her bak1 an' she luk lik 
she wan ter run1 but  sumhow de eye uv  
de sarpint dun got a charm on her4 ,dar 
wuz a struggul1  er reglur ,bull ,run   
battul1 gwine on in her soul at dat     
momint4    8#8,wat yer ax me dat questun
 fur8' ,eve axed1 gaspin' w'ile she     
spoke4  ,den de debbul luk off4 ,he tri 
ter be kam an' ter speak lo an' kine1   
but  dar wuz a glar' in hiz eyes4 #8,i  
begs many parduns1' he says1 'skuse  me1
 ,i did not mean ter meddul wid yer     
privit buzniz4 ,i'd bettur skuse  mysef1
 ,i reckin1 and try an' git erlong4'    
8#8,no2 doan go1' ,eve sed4 #8,yer      
havn't hurt my feelin's4 ,wat yer say   
jes' put new thoughts in my min' an'    
kinder shuk me up at fust4 ,but ,i  doan
 min' talkin'4'    8#8,ef dat be de     

kase1' speaks up de debbul1 quite       
brave-lek1 #8begs you  skuse me ter ask 
agin ef de rules uv de gardin 'lows yer 
ter eat any uv  dem appuls yer got in de
 gardin8 ,i haz my reasuns fer axin'    
dis4'    8,eve stud dar shivurrin' lik  
she freezin' an' pale es de marbul      
toomstoan4 ,but arter a gud wile she    
pint her han obur to er tree1 on de     
hill on de rite1 an' she tel 'im1 es ef 
she wuz mity 'fraid1 dat dar  wuz a tree
 obur dar uv de ,nollidge an' uv de     
,deestinxshun1 an' she say1  #8,de ,lord
 ,gord ,he tel us we mus' not eat dem   
appuls2 dey pisun us1 an'  de day we eat
 um we got to die4'    8,oh1 my         
brudderin1 worn't times mity serus den8 
',twuz de hour wen de  powurs uv darknis
 wuz gittin' in an' de foundashuns uv   
human hopes wuz  givin' way4 ,den it wuz
 he git up close ter ,eve an' wispur in 
her ear3--    8#8,did de ,lord ,gord tel
 yer dat8 ,doan tel nobody1 but ,i wan' 
ter tel yer  dat it ain't so4 ,doan yer 
b'liev it4 ,doan let 'im fool yer6 ,he  

know  dat's de bes' fruit in all de     
gardin1--de fruit uv de ,nollidge an' de
  ,deestinxshun1 an' dat wen yer eats it
 yer will know es much es ,he do4  ,yer 
reckin ,he wants yer ter know es much es
 ,he do8 ,na-a-w2 an' dat's  why ,he say
 wat ,he do say4 ,you go git um4 ,dey's 
de choysis' fruit in de  gardin1 an' wen
 yer eats um yer will be equ'ul ter     
,gord4'    8,erlas1 erlas6 po' deluded  
an' foolish ,eve6 ,it wuz de momint uv  
her  evurlastin' downfall4 ,clouds uv   
darknis shrouds her min' an' de ebul    
sperrit leap inter her soul an' locks de
 do' behin' him4 ,dat dedly day  she    
bruk 'way frum de ,gord dat made her1   
,eve did1 an' purtuk uv de  fruit dat   
brought sin an' ruin an' hell inter de  
wurl'4    8,po' foolish ,eve6 ,in dat   
momunt darknis fils her min'1 evul leaps
 in  ter er heart1 an' she pluck de     
appul1 bruk de kumman uv ,gord1 and ate 
de fatul fruit wat brought death ter all
 our race4    8,artur er wile1 ,adum kum
 walkin' up de gardin and ,eve she runs 

out ter  meet 'im4 ,wen he kum near she 
hol' up er appul in her han' and tell   
him  it iz gud ter eat4 ,oh1 blin' and  
silly womun6 ,first deceived herself1   
she turn roun' and deceives ,adum4      
,dat's de way2 we gits wrong1 an' den   
we pulls udder folks down wid us4 ,we   
rarly goes down by oursefs4    8,but    
whar wuz de rong8 ,whar1 indeed8 ,it wuz
 in ,eve's believin' de  debbul and not 
believin' ,gord4 ,it wuz doin' wat de   
debbul sed an' not  doin' wat ,gord sed4
 ,an' yer kum here and ax me whar sin   
kum frum6 ,yer  see now1 doan' sher8 ,it
 kum out uv de pit uv hell whar it wuz  
hatched  'mong de ainjuls dat wuz flung 
out uv heav'n 'caus dey disurbeyd ,gord4
  ,it kum from dat land whar de name uv 
our ,gord is hated4 ,it wuz brought  by 
dat ole sarpint1 de fathur uv lies1 and 
he brung it dat he mite fool  de woman1 
an' in dat way sot up on de urth de     
wurks uv de debbul4 ,sin  iz de black   
chile uv de pit1 it is4 ,it kum frum de 
ole sarpint at fust1  but it's here now1

 rite in po' ,jasper's hart and in your 
hart2 wharevur  dar iz a man or a woman 
in dis dark wurl' in tears dar iz       
sin1--sin dat  insults ,gord1 tars down 
,his law1 and brings woes ter evrybody4 
8,an' you1 stung by de sarpint1 wid     
,gord's rath on yer and yer feet in  de 
paf uv deth1 axin' whar sin kum frum8   
,yer bettur fly de rath uv de  judgmint 
day4    8,but dis iz ernuff4 ,i jes' tuk
 time ter tell whar sin kum frum4 ,but  
my  tong carnt refuse ter stop ter tel  
yer dat de blud uv de ,lam' slain  frum 
de foundashun uv de wurl' is grettur dan
 sin and mitier dan hell4  ,it kin wash 
erway our sins1 mek us whitur dan de    
drivin snow1 dress us  in redemshun     
robes1 bring us wid shouts and          
allerluejurs bak ter dat  fellership wid
 our ,fathur1 dat kin nevur be brokin   
long ez 'ternity  rolls40    ,this      
outbreak of fiery eloquence was not the 
event of the afternoon1  but simply an  
incident4 ,it came towards the end of   
the service1 and  its delivery took not 

much more time than is required to read 
this  record of it4 ,his language was   
perhaps never more broken2 but what he  
said flamed with terrific light4 ,while 
there were touches of humour  in his    
description of the scene in the ,garden1
 his message gathered a  seriousness and
 solemnity which became simply          
overpowering4 ,no words  can describe   
the crushing and alarming effect which  
his weird story of  the entrance of sin 
into the world had upon his audience4   
,men sobbed  and fell to the floor in   
abject shame1 and frightened cries for  
mercy  rang wild through the church4    
,possibly never a sweeter gospel note   
sounded than that closing reference     
which he made to the cleansing  power of
 the blood shed from the foundation of  
the world4    ,there were many white    
persons present1 and they went away     
filled with a  sense of the greatness   
and power of the ,gospel4          ,,vi 
,,jasper ,,set ,,free      ,jasper came 
to the verge of his greatness after he  

had passed the  half century line4      
,freedom had come and to him brought    
nothing except  the opportunity to carve
 out his own fortune4 ,his ministry had 
been  migratory1 restricted and chiefly 
of ungathered fruit4 ,he found himself  
in ,richmond without money and without a
 home4 ,by daily toil he was  picking up
 his bread4 ,he was dead set on doing   
something in the way he  wanted to do   
it4 ,he was of the constructive sort1   
and never had done  well when building  
on another man's foundation4    ,his    
ambition was to build a church4 ,down on
 the ,james ,river1 where the  big      
furnaces were run1 there was a little   
island1 and on the island a  little     
house1 and scattered along the canal and
 river were many of the  newly liberated
 and uncared for people of his race4    
,illustration3 ,,the ,,sixth ,,mount    
,,zion ,,church    ,he began to hold    
religious services on the island1--said 
by some to  have been held in a private 
house1 and by others in a deserted      

stable1  which was fitted up to         
accommodate the increasing crowds4      
,things went  well with him4 ,the joy of
 building flamed his soul1 and beneath  
the  tide of the river he baptized many 
converts4 ,happy days they were6 ,the   
people were wild with enthusiasm1 and   
the shouts of his congregation  mingled 
with the noise of the ,james ,river     
,falls4 ,it was to ,jasper as  the gate 
of heaven1 and he walked as the ,king's 
ambassador among his  admiring flock4   
,but it could not be that way long4     
,there was not room enough to contain   
the people1 and yet the church was      
poverty itself1 and what could  they do8
 ,happily they found a deserted building
 beyond the canal and  accessible to the
 growing company of his lovers in the   
city4 ,there  things went with a snap   
and a roar4 ,from every quarter the     
people came  to hear this ,african      
,boanerges4 ,the crowds and songs and   
riotous shouts  of his young church     
filled the neighbourhood4 ,constant     

processions1  with ,jasper at the head1 
visited the river or canal1 to give     
baptism to  the multiplying converts4   
,meanwhile1 however1 the northern part  
of the city was fast becoming  the      
,africa of ,richmond4 ,into its meaner  
outskirts at first the tide  began to   
roll1 but in a little while the white   
people began to retreat1  street after  
street1 until a vast area was given up  
to the coloured  people4 ,jasper's      
people1 also1 as they prospered1 began  
to settle in  this new ,africa1 and     
,jasper found once more that he was     
simply dwelling  in tents1 when the time
 was coming for the building of the     
temple4    ,jasper was on the outlook   
for a new location4 ,finally he hit upon
 an  old brick church building1 at the  
corner of ,duval and ,st4 ,john         
,streets4  ,the ,presbyterians1 who had 
started this mission years before1 had  
despaired of success under the changed  
conditions and they offered  the house  
for sale1 the price being #b1jbe4 ,the  

sense of growth and  progress fairly    
maddened this unique and fascinating    
preacher with  enthusiasm4 ,he had found
 a home for his people at last1 and yet1
 in  point of fact1 he had not4 ,the    
house was a magnificent gain on their   
old quarters1 and yet every ,sunday     
afternoon found most of his crowd  on   
the outside4 ,quite soon his people had 
to enlarge and remodel  the house1 and  
this they did at a cost of #f1jjj4 ,by  
that time the  membership was well on   
towards #b1jjj4 ,there they dwelt for a 
number  of years until the church became
 the centre of the religious life in    
that part of the town4 8,john ,jasper10 
as he was universally called1  had      
easily become the most attractive and   
popular minister of his  race in the    
city4 ,by this time he was over sixty   
years of age1 and it  would have taken  
much to have quenched the yet unwasted  
buoyancy and  vitality of his ministry4 
,necessity demanded another building1   
and in  the later prime of his kingly   

manhood1 and very largely by his        
personal  forcefulness and intrepid     
leadership1 he led a movement for a     
house of  worship that would be         
respectable in almost any part of       
,richmond4 ,what  was more to his       
purpose1 it was very capacious1 wisely  
adapted to the  wants of his people and 
a fitting monument to his constructive  
resource  and enthusiasm4 ,it is said   
that he1 out of his own slender         
resources1  gave #c1jjj to the building 
fund1 and this was probably in addition 
to great sums of money given him by     
white people who went to hear him       
preach and who delighted to honour and  
cheer the old man4 ,i suppose  that     
thousands of dollars were given him from
 no motive save that of  kindness       
towards him1 and the donours would just 
as soon have given  the money directly  
to him and for his own use4 ,they helped
 to build  the church simply to please  
the old man whose eloquence and honesty 
had won their hearts4 ,his love for his 

church amounted to devotion4 ,he  had   
seen it grow from the most insignificant
 beginning1 had watched  the tottering  
steps of its childhood1 and with pride  
natural and  affectionate had gloried in
 its prosperity4    ,but be it said to  
the old man's honour that he was too    
great to be  conceited4 ,he had no sense
 of boastfulness or self-glorification  
about  the church4 ,he had the frankness
 to tell the truth about things when it 
was necessary1 but he had too much manly
 modesty to claim distinction  for the  
part he had borne in the building up of 
the church4 ,indeed1  he was strangely  
silent about his relations with the     
church1 and his  dominant feeling was   
one of affectionate solicitude for the  
future of  the church rather than of    
self-satisfaction on account of its     
history4    ,there was a strain of      
severity in ,jasper4 ,he had some of the
 temper of  the reformer4 ,he was       
quick1--often too quick--in condemning  
those who  criticised him4 ,the fact is1

 he was so unfeignedly honest that he   
could  not be patient towards those     
whose sincerity or honesty he doubted4  
,for those who plotted against the      
church or gave trouble in other ways  he
 had little charity4 ,those that would  
not work in harness1 and help  to move  
things along1 he was quite willing to   
show to the church door4  ,for his part1
 he could not love those very warmly who
 did not love the  8,sixth ,mount       
,zion40    ,this may be the right place 
to say a word or two as to ,jasper's    
enemies4 ,he was a man of war1 and it   
may be that his prejudices  sometimes   
got in the saddle4 ,but not very often4 
,possibly1 his most  striking           
characteristic was his bottom sense of  
justice4 ,he told the  truth by         
instinct1 and it never occurred to him  
to take an undue  advantage4 ,if1       
however1 a man wronged him1 he was      
simply terrible in  bringing the fellow 
to book4 ,there was a case1 in which it 
is better  not to mention names1 in     

which an insidious and grievous         
accusation was  brought against this    
sturdy old friend of the faith4 ,the    
charge sought  to fasten falsehood upon 
,jasper4 ,that was enough for him1--it  
amounted  to a declaration of war1 and  
at once he entered upon the conflict4   
,never did he cease the strife until the
 charge was unsaid4 ,nothing1 in  short1
 could terrify him4    ,it must not be  
inferred that those who assailed him    
with questions and  arguments were put  
into the category of personal enemies4  
,controversy  was exactly to his taste4 
,all he asked of the other man was to   
state  his proposition1 and he was ready
 for the contest4 ,not that he went     
into it pell-mell4 ,by no means2 he took
 time for preparation1 and when  he     
spoke it was hard to answer him4 ,this1 
of course1 applies when the  questions  
were theological and ,scriptural1 and   
not scientific4 ,his  knowledge of the  
,scriptures was remarkable1 and his     
spiritual insight  into the doctrines of

 the ,bible was extraordinary4 ,when he 
preached1 he  supported every point with
 ,scriptural quotations1 invariably     
giving the  chapter and verse1 and often
 adding1 8,ef yer don' find it jes'     
ezackly  ez ,i tells yer1 yer kin meet  
me on de street nex' week an' say ter   
me3  #8,john ,jasper1 you ar er lier1'  
an' ,i won' say er wurd40    ,what gave 
to ,jasper an exalted and impressive    
presence was his  insistent claim that  
he was a ,god-sent man4 ,this he        
asserted in  almost every sermon1 and   
with such evident conviction that he    
forced  other people to believe it4     
,even those who differed with him were  
constrained to own his sincerity and    
,godliness4 ,it was impossible to  be   
with him much without being impressed   
that he was anointed of ,god  for his   
work4 ,it was in this that his people   
gloried4 ,their faith in  him was       
preminent1--far above every             
question--and he was also full of       
inspiration4 ,you may talk with his     

disciples now1 wherever you meet  them1 
and they are quick to tell you that     
8,brer ,jasper was certinly  aninted uv 
,god10 and even the more intelligent of 
the people ascribed  his greatness to   
the fact that he was under the power of 
the ,holy  ,ghost4 ,many wicked people  
heard him preach1 and some of them still
 went  their wicked way1 but they felt  
that the power of ,god was with ,jasper1
  and they were always ready to say so4 
,in many points1 ,john ,jasper was      
strikingly like ,john the ,baptist1--a  
just man and holy1 and the people       
revered him in a way ,i never met with  
in any other man4          ,,vii        
,,the ,,picture-,,maker      ,in the    
circle of ,jasper's gifts his           
imagination was preminent4 ,it  was the 
mammoth lamp in the tower of his being4 
,a matchless painter  was he4 ,he could 
flash out a scene1 colouring every      
feature1 defining  every incident and   
unveiling every detail4 ,time played no 
part in the  performance1--it was done  

before you knew it4 ,language itself was
 of  second moment4 ,his vocabulary was 
poverty itself1 his grammar a riot  of  
errors1 his pronunciation a dialectic   
wreck1 his gestures wild  and unmeaning1
 his grunts and heavings terrible to    
hear4 ,at times he  hardly talked but   
simply emitted2 his pictures were simply
 himself in  flame4 ,his entire frame   
seemed to glow with living light1 and   
almost  wordlessly he wrought his       
miracles4 ,but do not misunderstand4    
,some  insisted on saying that education
 would have stripped ,john of his       
genius by subduing the riot of his power
 and chastening the fierceness  of his  
imagination4 ,i think not1 for ,john in 
a good sense was educated4  ,he was a   
reverential and laborious student for   
half-a-century4 ,he  worked on his      
sermons with a marked assiduity and     
acquired the skill  and mastership of   
faithful struggle4 ,even his imagination
 had to work1  and its products were the
 fruit of toil4 ,there was no mark of   

the  abnormal or disproportionate in his
 sky1 but all the stars were big  and   
bright4 ,he was well ballasted in his   
mental make-up1 and in his  most radiant
 pictures there was an ethical regard   
for facts1 and an  instinctive respect  
for the truth4 ,moreover1 his           
ministrations fairly  covered the       
theological field1 were strongly        
doctrinal1 and he grappled  with honest 
vigour the deepest principles of the    
,gospel4 ,he was also  intensely        
practical1 scourging sin1 lashing       
neglect1 and with lofty  authority      
demanding high and faithful living4     
,think not of ,jasper merely as a       
pictorial preacher4 ,there were wrought 
into his pictures great principles and  
rich lessons4 ,but now and then  he     
would present a sermon which was largely
 a series of pictures from  beginning to
 end4 ,his imagination would be on duty 
all the time and  yet never flag4 ,i    
cannot forget his sermon on ,joseph and 
his ,brethren4  ,it was a stirring      

presentation of the varied scenes in    
that memorable  piece of history4 ,he   
opened on the favouritism of ,jacob1 and
 was  exceedingly strong in condemning  
partiality1 as unhappily expressed  in  
the coat of many colours4 ,that brief   
part was a sermon itself for  parents4  
,from that he passed quickly to the envy
 of his brothers1  jealousy was a demon 
creeping in among them1 inflicting      
poisonous  stings1 and spreading his    
malignant power1 until murder rankled in
  every heart4 ,then came ,joseph1      
innocent and ignorant of offending1 to  
fall a victim to their conspiracy1 with 
the casting of him into the  pit1 the   
selling of him to the travelling        
tradesmen1 the showing to  ,jacob of the
 blood-stained coat1 with scene after   
scene until the happy  meeting at last  
between ,jacob and his long lost son4   
,one almost lived a lifetime under the  
spell of that sermon4 ,it was  eloquent1
 pathetic1 terrific in its              
denunciations1 rich in homely  piety1   

and with strains of sweetness that was  
as balm to sorrowing  souls4 ,the       
effects were as varied as human thoughts
 and sentiments4 ,the  audience went    
through all moods4 ,now they were bent  
down as if crushed  with burdens2 now   
they were laughing in tumults at the    
surprises and  charms of heavenly truth2
 anon they were sobbing as if all hearts
 were  broken1 and in a moment hundreds 
were on their feet shaking hands1       
shouting1 and giving forth snatches of  
jubilant song4 ,this all seems          
extravagant1 without sobriety entirely1 
but those that were there1  perhaps     
without an exception1 felt that it was  
the veritable house of  ,god and the    
gate of heaven4    ,at other times1     
,jasper's sermons were sober and        
deliberate1 sometimes  even dull2 but   
rarely did the end come without a burst 
of eloquence  or an attractive1         
entertaining picture4 ,but1 remember1   
that his  pictures were never foreign to
 his theme4 ,they were not lugged in  to

 fill up4 ,they had in them the might of
 destiny and fitted their  places1 and  
fitted them well4 ,often they came      
unheralded1 but they were  evidently    
born for their part4 ,on one occasion   
his sermon was on ,enoch4  ,it started  
out at a plodding gait and seemed for a 
time doomed to  dullness1 for ,jasper   
could be dull sometimes4 ,at one time he
 brought a  smile to the faces of the   
audience1 in speaking of ,enoch's age1  
by the  remark3 8,dem ole folks back dar
 cud beat de presunt ginerashun livin'  
all ter pieces40    ,as he approached   
the end of his sermon1 his face lighted 
up and took on  a new grace and passion1
 and he went out with ,enoch on his last
 walk4  ,that walk bore him away to the 
border of things visible2 earthly scenes
  were lost to view2 light from the     
higher hills gilded the plains4 ,enoch  
caught sight of the face of ,god1 heard 
the music and the shouting of a  great  
host1 and saw the ,lamb of ,god seated  
on the throne4 ,the scene was  too fair 

to lose1 and ,enoch's walk quickened    
into a run which landed  him in his     
father's house4 ,it was a quick1 short  
story1 told in soft  and mellow tones1  
and lifted the audience up so far that  
the people  shouted and sang as if they 
were themselves entering the gates of   
heaven4    ,one of his more elaborate   
descriptions1 far too rich to be        
reproduced1  celebrated the ascension of
 ,elijah4 ,there was the oppressive     
unworldliness of the old prophet1 his   
efforts to shake off ,elisha1  and      
,elisha's wise persistence in clamouring
 for a blessing from his  spiritual     
father4 ,but it was when the old prophet
 began to ascend that  ,jasper1 standing
 off like one apart from the scene1     
described it so  thrillingly that       
everything was as plain as open day4 ,to
 the people1  the prophet was actually  
and visibly going away4 ,they saw him   
quit the  earth1 saw him rise above the 
mountain tops1 sweeping grandly over the
  vast fields of space1 and finally saw 

him as he passed the moon and  stars4   
,then something happened4 ,in the       
fraction of a second ,jasper was        
transmuted into ,elijah and was actually
 in the chariot and singing with        
extraordinary power the old chorus3     
8,going up to heaven in a chariot of    
fire40 ,the scene was overmastering6    
,for a time ,i thought that ,jasper  was
 the real ,elijah1 and my distinct      
feeling was that the song which  he sang
 could be heard around the world4 ,of   
course1 it was not so2 but  there was   
something in the experience of the      
moment that has abided  with me ever    
since4    ,at a funeral one ,sunday ,i  
saw ,jasper attempt a dialogue with     
death1  himself speaking for both4 ,the 
line of thought brought him face to face
  with death and the grave4 ,the scene  
was solemnized by a dead body in a      
coffin4 ,he put his hands over his mouth
 and stooped down and addressed  death4 
,oh1 death--death1 speak to me4 ,where  
is thy sting8 ,and then with  the effect

 of a clairvoyant he made reply3 8,once 
my sting was keen and  bitter1 but now  
it is gone4 ,christ ,jesus has plucked  
it out1 and ,i  have no more power to   
hurt ,his children4 ,i am only the      
gatekeeper to  open the gateway to let  
,his children pass40 ,in closing this   
chapter an  incident will largely       
justify my seemingly extraordinary      
statements as  to the platform power of 
this unschooled negro preacher in       
,virginia4    ,in company with a friend 
,i went very often ,sunday afternoons to
 hear  ,jasper and the fact was bruited 
about quite extensively1 and somewhat   
to the chagrin of some of my            
church-members4 ,two of them1 a         
professor  in ,richmond ,college and a  
lawyer well-known in the city1 took me  
to  task about it4 ,they told me in     
somewhat decided tones that my action   
was advertising a man to his injury1 and
 other things of a similar  sort4 ,i    
cared but little for their criticism1   
but told them that if  they would go to 

hear him when he was at his best1 and if
 afterwards  they felt about him as they
 then felt1 ,i would consider their     
complaints4 ,they went the next ,sunday4
 ,the house was overflowing1 and        
,jasper walked the mountain tops that   
day4 ,his theme was 8,the raising  of   
,lazarus0 and by steps majestic he took 
us along until he began to  describe the
 act of raising ,lazarus from the dead4 
,it happened that  the good professor   
was accompanied by his son1 a sprightly 
lad of  about ten1 who was sitting      
between his father and myself4 ,suddenly
 the  boy1 evidently agitated1 turned to
 me and begged that we go home at  once4
 ,i sought to soothe him1 but all in    
vain1 for as he proceeded the  boy      
urgently renewed his request to go home4
 ,his father observed his  disquietude  
and putting an arm around him restored  
him to calmness4  ,after the service    
ended and we had reached the street1 ,i 
said to him3  8,look here1 boy1 what put
 you into such a fidget to quit the     

church  before the end of the service80 
8,oh1 doctor1 ,i thought he had a dead  
man under the pulpit and was going to   
take him out10 he said4 ,my lawyer      
brother heard the sermon and with       
profound feeling said1 8,hear that1  and
 let me say to you that in a lifetime ,i
 have heard nothing like it1  and you   
ought to hear that man whenever you     
can40    ,i heard no later criticisms   
from any man concerning my conduct in   
evincing such cordial interest in this  
eloquent son of ,fluvanna4    ,it was   
only necessary to persuade ,jasper's    
critics to hear him1 to  remove all     
question as to his genuine character and
 effective spiritual  ministry4         
,,viii    ,,jasper',s ,,star ,,witness  
,the domestic history of this rare and  
gifted man was not without  its tragical
 incidents4 ,one of the worst features  
of slavery1 as an  institution in the   
,south1 was the inevitable legislation  
which it  necessitated1 and under which 
many grievous wrongs were perpetrated4  

,the right of the slave owner to the    
person of the slave carried with it  the
 authority to separate man and wife at  
the dictate of self-interest1  and that 
was often done1 though it ought to be   
said that thousands of  kind-hearted men
 and women did their utmost to mitigate 
the wrongs  which such legislation      
legalized4 ,in the sale of the negroes  
regard was  often had for the marriage  
relation1 and it was arranged so that   
the  man and wife might not be torn     
asunder4 ,but it was not always this    
way4  ,too often the sanctity of        
marriage and the laws of ,god concerning
 it  were sacrificed to the greed of the
 slaveholder4    ,if the tradition of   
,mr4 ,jasper's first marriage is to be  
accepted as  history1 then he was the   
victim of the cruel laws under which the
  institution of slavery was governed4  
,in the changes which came to  him in   
the breaking up of the family to which  
he belonged his lot was  cast for a     
while in the city of ,williamsburg4 ,the

 story is that he  became enamoured of a
 maiden bearing the name of ,elvy       
,weaden1 and he  was successful in his  
suit4 ,it chanced1 however1 that on the 
very day  set for his marriage1 he was  
required to go to ,richmond to live4    
,the  marriage was duly solemnized and  
he was compelled to leave his bride     
abruptly1 but was buoyed with the hope  
that fairer days would come  when their 
lot would be cast together4 ,the        
fleeting days quenched the  hope and    
chilled the ardour of the bride1 and in 
course of time the  impatient woman     
notified ,jasper that unless he would   
come to see her  and they could live    
together1 she would account herself free
 to seek  another husband4 ,he was not a
 man to brook mistreatment1 and he made 
short work of the matter4 ,he wrote her 
that he saw no hope of returning  to    
,williamsburg1 and that she must go     
ahead and work out her own fate4        
,naturally enough1 the difficulties     
under which the married life had to  be 

maintained served to weaken seriously   
the marital tie and to imperil  the     
virtue of the slaves4 ,but this remark  
ought not to be made without  recalling 
the fact that there were thousands and  
tens of thousands of  happy and         
well-governed families among the slaves 
of the ,south4    ,jasper felt seriously
 the blight of this untimely marriage   
and he  seems to have remained unmarried
 until after he united with the church  
and became a preacher4 ,in time1 his    
thoughts turned again to marriage4  ,he 
was then a member of the ,first ,african
 ,baptist ,church of ,richmond4  ,he    
took the letter which his wife had      
written him some time before  and       
presented it to the church and asked    
what was his duty under the             
circumstances4 ,it was a complex and    
vexing question1 but his brethren1      
after soberly weighing the matter1      
passed a resolution expressing the      
conviction that it would be entirely    
proper for him to marry again4          

,accordingly1 about five years after his
 conversion1 he married a woman  bearing
 the unusual name of ,candus ,jordan4   
,according to all reports1  this        
marriage was far more fruitful in       
children than in the matter of          
connubial peace and bliss for the       
high-strung and ambitious ,jasper4 ,it  
seems that the case must have had some  
revolting features1 as in due  time     
,jasper secured a divorce and was fully 
justified by his brethren  and friends  
in taking this action4 ,evidently this  
separation from  his wife1 which was    
purely voluntary1 in no way weakened him
 in the  confidence and good-will of the
 people4    ,years after his divorce1   
,jasper married ,mrs4 ,mary ,anne ,cole4
 ,there were  no children by this       
marriage1 but his wife had a daughter by
 her former  marriage who took the name 
of ,jasper1 and was adopted in fact and 
in  heart as the daughter of this now   
eminent and beloved minister4 ,this     
wife died in #ahgd1 and ,jasper married 

once more4 ,his widow survived him  and 
still lives1 a worthy and honoured woman
 whose highest earthly joy  is the      
recollection of having been the wife of 
,elder ,john ,jasper1 and  also the     
solace and cheer of his old age4 ,this  
is a checkered story of  a matrimonial  
career1 but justice loudly demands the  
statement that  through it all ,john    
,jasper walked the lofty path of virtue 
and honour4  ,it was impossible1        
however1 for a man like ,jasper to      
escape the arrows  of the archer4       
,jealousy1 envy1 and slander were often 
busy with his  name1 and if foul charges
 could have befouled him none could have
  been fouler than he4 ,but his daily   
life was a clean and unanswerable       
story4 ,reproaches would not stick to   
him1 and the deadliest darts fell       
harmless at his feet4 ,his noble        
seriousness1 his absorption in the      
study of the ,bible1 his enthusiasm in  
the ministry1 and1 most of all1  his    
quiet walk with ,god1 saved him from the

 grosser temptations of life4           
,perhaps the finest incident in all the 
story of his life was the  perfect faith
 of the people in ,jasper4 ,this was    
true everywhere  that he was known1 but 
it was most powerfully true among those 
who  stood nearest to him and knew him  
best4 ,jasper1 to them1 was the         
incarnation of goodness4 ,they felt his 
goodness1 revelled in it1 and  lived on 
it4 ,their best earthly inspirations    
sprang out of the fair  and             
incorruptible character of their pastor4
 ,if his enemies sought  to undermine   
and defame him1 they rallied around him 
and fought his  battles4 ,little cared  
he for the ill things said about him    
personally4  ,conscious of his          
rectitude1 and1 embosomed in the love of
 his great  church1 he walked serenely  
and triumphantly in the way of the      
,lord4 ,he  believed in the sanctity of 
his home1 and he hallowed it by the     
purity1  honesty1 and charity of his    
brethren4    ,anxious to get some living

 testimony in regard to the personal    
character of ,jasper1 ,i determined to  
get in contact with a few  persons who  
stood very close to him1 and that1 for  
many years4 ,in  what follows is found  
the testimony of a truly excellent      
woman1 to  whom ,i was directed1 with   
the assurance that what she said might  
be  taken as thoroughly trustworthy4    
,she gave her name as ,virginia ,adams1 
and1 judging from her appearance and    
manner1 one would probably write  her   
down as not far from threescore and ten4
 ,she was for many years  a member of   
his church4 ,the following story from   
her lips is not  connected1 but it is   
simply the unmethodical testimony of a  
sensible  woman1 bearing about it the   
marks of sincerity1 intelligence1 and   
reverential affection4    8,brer'       
,jasper was as straightfor'd a man es   
you cud see1 and yer cud  rely 'pon     
ev'ry word he told yer4 ,he made it so  
plain dat watuver he  tol' yer in his   
sermon yer cud read it right thar in yer

 heart1 jes'  like he had planted and   
stamped it in yer4 ,i can't read myse'f1
 but ,i  kno' well when anybody mek any 
mistake 'bout de passages which ,brer   
,jasper used to preach 'bout4 ,i've got 
'em jes' de same es if ,i had 'em       
printed on my mem'ry4 ,his mi'ty sermon 
on ,elijer is in me jes' es he  preached
 it4 ,i kin see ,elijer es ,elisha is   
runnin' arter him1--kin see  de cheryot 
es it kum down1 see ,brer ,jasper es he 
wuz pintin' ter de  cheryot es it riz in
 its grand flight up de skies1--see     
,elijer es he  flung his mantul out es  
he went up1 and ,i tell yer when ,brer  
,jasper  began ter sing 'bout goin' up  
ter heaven in a cheryot uv fire ,i cud  
see  everything jes' es bright es day1  
and de people riz such a shout dat ,i   
thought all de wurl' wuz shoutin'4 ,yes1
 ,brer ,jasper wuz de kindes' man  ,i   
reckon on de urth4 ,yer cudn't finish   
tellin' him 'bout folks dat wuz  in     
trouble and want1 befo' he'd be gittin' 
out his money4 ,he didn't  look lik he  

keer much 'bout money1--he warn't no    
money-seeker1 and yit  he look lik he   
allus hev money1 and he wuz allus de    
fust ter give4 ,jes'  tell him wat wuz  
needed1 and he begun fer to scratch in  
his pocket4    8,brer ,jasper kep'      
things lively4 ,people wuz talkin' all  
de time 'bout  his sermons1 and yer cud 
hear their argiments while yer wuz gwine
 'long  de streets4 ,often his members  
an' udder folks too wud git tangled up  
'bout his doctrines and dey wud git up  
texs an' subjiks an' git him  ter preach
 'bout 'em4 ,ef any uv his brutherin had
 trubbul wid passiges  uv de scripshur  
and went ter him 'bout 'em1 you'd sure  
hear frum him  nex ,sunday4 ,he luv ter 
splain things fer his brutherin4    8,it
 wuz ,bruther ,woodson1 de sexton uv de 
church1 and anudder man dat  got ,brer  
,jasper in ter dat gret 'citemint 'bout 
de sun4 ,dey got inter  a spute es to   
wheddur de sun went 'roun' de wurl' ur  
not1 and dey took  it ter our pastor1   
and really ,i thought ,i nevur wud hear 

de end of dat  thing4 ,folks got arter  
,brer ,jasper in de papurs and          
everywhar2 but ,i  tell yer dey nevur   
skeered him4 ,he wuz es brave es a lion1
 an' ,i don'  kno' how often he preached
 dat sermon4 ,it look lik all de people 
in de  wurl' want to kum4    8,no1 ,brer
 ,jasper wuz no money-grabbur4 ,when de 
church wuz weak and  cudn't raze much   
money1 he nevur sot no salary4 ,yer     
cudn't git him ter  do it4 ,he tell 'em 
not ter trubble 'emselves1 but jes' giv 
him wat  dey chuze ter put in de baskit 
and he nevur made no kumplaint4 ,wen de 
church got richer dey crowd 'im hard ter
 kno' how much he wantid1 and  he at    
las' tell 'em dat he wud take #fb4ej a  
month1 and dat he didn't  want no more  
dan dat4 ,wen de gret crowds got ter    
kummin' and de white  folks too1 and de 
money po'ed in so fas' de brutherin     
farly quarl'd wid  him ter git his      
sal'ry raz'd1 but he say ,no6 ,i git    
nuff now1 and ,i  want no more4 ,i'm not
 here to gouge my people out of es much 

money es ,i  kin4 ,he say he got nuff   
money to pay his taxes and buy wat he   
needed1  and if dey got more dan dey    
wantid let 'em take it and help de      
,lord's  pore4 ,sometimes we used ter   
'poun'' de ole man1 kerryin' 'im all    
kinds  uv good things ter eat4 ,he      
didn't lik it at all1 but tuk de things 
and  sont 'em 'roun' ter de pore people4
    8,brer ,jasper wuz nun uv yer       
parshul preachers4 ,his church wuz his  
family1 and he had no favrites4 ,he did 
not bow down ter de high nor  hol'      
'imsef 'bove de low4 ,enny uv his people
 cud kum ter him 'bout all  dere        
struggles and sorrers4 ,he hated        
erroneyus doctrines4 ,his faith in  de  
,bibul wuz powerful1 and he luved it    
'bove everything4 ,he had awful  dreds  
'bout wat mite kum ter de church wen he 
wuz gone4 ,he sometimes  said in a mity 
solem way1 #8,wen ,i am daid and gone1  
yer will look out  ter whar my ashes lay
 and wish ,i wuz back here ter 'part ter
 yer de  pure wurd uv ,gord agin4 ,i got

 a fear dat dose dat kum arter me will  
try  ter pull down wat ,i built up4 ,i  
pray ,gord1 my children will stand by de
  ship uv ,zion wen ,i's gone4'         
8,brer ,jasper got troubles 'bout de way
 young childun wuz got inter  de church4
 ,he say #8all yer got ter do is to     
pitty-pat em 7making the  motion in the 
pulpit with his hands7 on dere haids and
 dey are in de  kingdom4 ,sum uv yer duz
 the convertin' of dese little uns      
instid er  leavin' it ter ,god ter do de
 work4' ,he believed in regenerashum of 
folks4 ,he preach'd ter de very last on 
being born agin1 and he didn't  want    
nobody ter kum inter his church wat     
ain't felt de power uv de  sperrit in   
dere souls4    8,but ,brer ,jasper wuz a
 mity luver uv de childun4 ,he had a    
great way  of stoppin' and talkin' ter  
dem on de street4 ,he wuz a beautiful   
story-teller1 and de childrun often     
flocked ter his house ter hear  'im tell
 nice stories and all kine uv good      
tales4 ,he kept pennies in  his pockets 

and often dropped 'em along for de      
chilrun--he had great  ways1--til de    
chilrun ud think he wuz de greatest man 
dat ever put foot  on de yearth4        
8,brer ,jasper wuz sosherbul wid        
everybody1 and nobody cud beat him as a 
talker4 ,he knew lots 'bout ,richmond1  
and de ole times1 and he had de         
grandest stories and jokes dat he luved 
ter tell and dat de folks went  wild ter
 hear4 ,he wuz great on jokes and       
cracked 'em in sech a funny  way dat    
folks most killed de 'sefs laughin'4    
,but yer mus' kno' dat he  wuz mity     
keerful 'bout how he talked4 ,yer neer  
hear no bad words frum  his mouth4 ,his 
stories he could tell ennywhar1 and wuz 
jes' as nice ter  de ladies as ter der  
men4 ,he didn't b'leve in no ,sercities4
 ,dey tried  ter git 'im in de ,masons1 
and ,i don't kno' wat all1 but he ain't 
tech  none uv'em4 ,he sez dar ain't but 
one ,grand ,past ,master and dat is     
,king  ,jesus4    8,dey orf'n wanted 'im
 at de big public suppers war dey et an'

 drank  an' made speeches1 but he       
wouldn't go near2 and den our high      
people  had der big suppers in dere     
houses and wanted de 'onur uv           
entertainin'  ,brer ,jasper1 but he     
didn't hanker arter dose kind uv things4
 ,he wanted  his meals simple and reglur
 and uv de plain sort1 and as fer dese  
high  ferlootin' feasts dey didn't suit 
his taste4    8,it look lik ,brer       
,jasper couldn't stop preachin'4 ,it wuz
 his food and  drink1 an' enny time he'd
 git way beyond his strength4 ,i've seen
 'im  wen it looked lik de las' bref hed
 gone out'en his body1 and sometimes    
some uv de brutherin say he did not look
 like a natchul man4 ,he seemed  more in
 hevun dan on urth4 ,i most reckun some 
uv de brutherin thought  he wuz gone up 
in ter heavun like ,lijer4 ,dey go in de
 pulpit and tek  hol' uv 'im and say    
,brer ,jasper yer dun preached nuff4    
,don't wear  yerself down4 ,tek yer seat
 and res' yersef4 ,he knew dey did it   
fer luv1  and he took it kind1 but he   

didn't always stop at once4    8,brer   
,jasper had a walk mity remarkbul4 ,wen 
he went in de streets he  wuz so stately
 and grave lik dat he walk diffrunt from
 all de people4  ,folks wud run out uv  
all de stores1 or out on der porches1 or
 turn back  ter look wen ,jasper kum    
'long4 ,oh1 it made us proud ter look at
 him4  ,no other preacher could walk    
like him4 ,yer felt de ground got holy  
war  he went 'long4 ,sum uv 'em say it  
wuz ekul ter a revival ter see ,john    
,jasper moving lik a king 'long de      
street4 ,often he seemed ter be wrappd  
up in his thoughts and hardly to know   
whar he wuz4 ,de people feared 'im  so  
much1--wid sech a luvin' kind uv fear1  
dat dey hardly dared to speak  ter him4 
8,brer ,jasper wuz mity fond uv walkin' 
in de pulpit4 ,it wuz a great  large    
place1 and he frisked round most lik he 
wuz a boy4 ,wen he filled  up wid de    
rousement of the ,gospel on him1 it was 
just glor'us to see  him as he whirled  
about the stand2 the faces of his folks 

shone wid de  brightness of de sun1 and 
they ofen made the house ring with      
laughter  and with their shouts4        
8,one thing he did dat always made his  
congregasons rock wid joy1 an'  dat wuz 
ter sing wile he wuz preachin'4 ,he wuz 
mos' ninety years old1  but he never    
lost his power ter sing1 an' wen he     
struck er tune de  note uv it shot in de
 people lik arrurs from anguls quivur4  
,yer cudn't  hol' still wen ,jasper     
sung4 ,soon as he started1 de people    
would 'gin  to swing an' jine in tel de 
music filled de house4 ,he cud sing a   
heap  uv songs1 but he had a few great  
songs4 ,yer orter to hear him sing by   
hiself his favrite piece40 ,here it is3 
,,ev',,budy ,,got ,,ter ,,rise ,,ter    
,,meet ,,king ,,jesus ,,in ,,de         
,,mornin'         8#8,ev'budy got ter   
rise ter meet ,king ,jesus in de        
mornin'2       ,de high and de lo'2     
,de rich and de po'1       ,de bond and 
de free1       ,as well as me4          
8#8,yer got ter rise ter meet ,king     

,jesus in de mornin'1       ,weddur yer 
iz purparred er no1       ,ter ,gord's  
trirbewnul       ,yer got ter go1       
,yer got ter rise ter meet ,king ,jesus 
in de mornin'4         8#8,de lurnid and
 de unlurnid1       ,barbareun1 ,jentile
 and de ,jew1       ,hev yer red hit in 
,hiz wurd1       ,dat de peepul wuz     
drondid in de flud1       ,ev'budy got  
ter rise ter meet ,king ,jesus in de    
mornin'4'      8,dar wuz a song dat     
,jasper made hisself4 ,some called it a 
ballard1 and  udders said it wuz a poem2
 but wat evur twuz1 it wuz glory ter    
hear him  sing it4 ,it went dis way3--  
8#8,i beheld and lo       ,a grate      
multertude dat no man kin number1       
,thousuns and thousuns1 an' ten thousun 
times ten thousun1       ,standin' befo'
 de ,lam'1       ,and dey had pams in   
dere hans4         8#8,dey nevur restid 
day nur night1       ,cryin' ,holy1     
,holy1 ,holy1 iz de ,lord1 ,gord uv     
,sabbuth       ,dat wuz1 an' iz1 and iz 
ter kum1       ,i saw a mi'ty ainjel    

flyin' through de midst uv heaven1      
,cryin' wid a loud voice1       ,sayin' 
,woe6 ,woe6 ,woe6 be unto de earth by   
reazun uv de trumpit1       ,dat which  
is yet ter soun'4       ,and when de    
las' trumpit shall soun'1       ,see de 
great men and noble1       ,de rich1 and
 de po'1 de bond and de free1           
,gueddur 'emselves terguedder1 cryin'   
ter de rocks1 an' ter de mountins1      
,ter fall 'pon 'em an' hide 'em1        
,from de face uv ,him dat sitteth on de 
throne1       ,de great day uv ,his rath
 hav kum an' who shall be able ter      
stan'8'      8,and den1 too1 he had his 
shoutin' song4 ,he never sung it 'cept  
wen  de heavenly fires wuz burnin' all  
over his soul4 ,he kept tune wid his    
walkin' and wid de clappin' uv his      
hands4 ,dis song never got in 'cept  at 
de close uv sermons dat had heaven in   
'em1 and somehow he jumped  from de     
sermon all at once in ter de song an' it
 would hev fairly kilt  yer wid joy ter 
hear it4 ,here is de way he put it3--   

8#8,my soul will mount higher in a      
chariot of fire1       ,and de wurl' is 
put under my feet4'      8,dis wuz the  
start uv it1 but dere wuz heaps more4   
8,it wuz an awful time ter us wen we    
begun ter see dat our ole pastor  wuz   
near ter de end uv his race4 ,we had    
been a-dreddin' it by degrees  and it   
broke on us more and more4 ,i think de  
dere man tried ter git us  reddy fer it4
 ,he kep sayin' to us3 #8,my chilrun1 my
 work on de earth  is dun4 ,i doan ask  
death no more odds dan a horse-fly4'    
,but den he'd  preach so powerful dat   
we'd hope dat he'd hol' out a good deal 
longer4  ,he said ter me one day3       
#8,compartivly speakin'1 my time in dis 
wurl' is  skin deep1' and ,i look at my 
hand and think how thin de skin is1 and 
,i  feel dat sho' nuff he mus' soon be  
goin'4    8,one night at de church he   
turned hissef loos4 ,he said dat as fer 
'imself it mattered nuthin'4 ,he had    
paid all his debts1 dat he did not  keer
 whar or when he dropped2 but he wanted 

everybody ter know dat he  wud be wid   
,jesus4 ,dat wuz one uv de things dat he
 luved ter say4 ,den he  told de church 
dat dar wuz nuthin' lef' uv him1--dat he
 wanted 'em to  git tergedder and pay   
off der church debt and live tergedder  
lik little  chil'run4 ,he wuz mity gret 
dat night1 an' it looked lik de powers  
uv de  wurl' ter kum wuz dar4    8,de   
people went out silent lik an' dey said 
dat de gud ole pastor  preached his own 
funeral dat night4 ,he allus thought uv 
hissef es de  servant uv ,king ,jesus4  
,dat wuz a slavery dat he liked and     
nevur wished  to git free from it4      
,towards de las' he wuz all de time     
sayin'3 #8,i am  now at de river's brink
 and waitin' fer furder orders4 ,it's de
 same ter  me ter go or stay1 jes' es   
,gord commands4'    8,some folks said   
dat he wuz conceited4 ,dey did not know 
him4 ,he wuz too  full uv de fear uv    
,gord to think he wuz sum great body1   
an' he know'd  his own sins an' troubles
 too well ter boast4 ,he must hev known 

dat  ,gord made him more uv a man dan de
 gen'ral run4 ,he had ter kno' dat1     
'caus' it wuz proved ter him every day1 
an' in a heap uv ways4 ,besides  dat1 he
 hilt hisself up high4 ,he had good     
respec' for hisself and felt  dat a man 
lik he wuz had got ter behave hisself   
'cordin' ter wat he  wuz4 ,but dat wuz  
very different from bein' one uv dese   
giddy little  fops dat is always        
trancin' aroun' showin' hisself off1 and
 braggin'  'bout everything4 ,i often   
wondered how ,jasper could be so umble  
lik1  wen so many cacklin' fools wuz    
bodderin' 'im4    8,brer ,jasper could  
git up big things wen he tried4 ,wen dey
 got in a  tight place 'bout de church  
an' had to have money1 he got up a      
skurshun  ter ,washington4 ,he sent out 
de members ter sell tickets1 an' dey    
sold  so many dat dey had ter have two  
trains ter carry 'em1 and jes' think1   
sir1 he cleared #a1ejj fer his church by
 dat skurshun1 and he got up  anudder to
 ,staunton dat wuz mos' as good as de   

udder one4 ,ah1 he wuz a  leader1 ,i    
tell you he wuz4 ,we never could have   
had our fine church if  it had not bin  
fer him4    8,it's mity easy fer folks  
ter forget things4 ,some folks are      
teerin'  'roun' as if the church        
b'longed ter 'em now1 and dey are ready 
ter  tell you dat ,jasper made mistakes 
and all dat1 but sum uv us knows well   
dat ,jasper built dat church4 ,you need 
nevur spect ter hear any more  sech     
preachin' in dat pulpit as dat grand ole
 man uv ,god used ter give  us4    8,you
 know ,brer ,jasper got convicted uv his
 sins fer de first time on  de #dth of  
,july in ,capitol ,squar'1 ,richmond4   
,he use ter tell us 'bout  it many a    
time4 ,while de folks wuz swarmin'      
'roun' and laffin' and  hurrahin'1 an   
arrer uv convicshun went in ter his     
proud heart an'  brought 'im low4 ,he   
never forgot dat place1 and when he got 
ter be an  ole man he wuz kinder drawn  
ter ,capitol ,squar4 ,he luv ter go down
 dar4  ,he like de cool shade uv de     

trees and 'joyed de res'1 dozin'        
sometimes  wen he wuz tired4 ,de people1
 and speshully de chilrun1 used ter git 
'roun' him an' ask him questions an'    
make him talk4 ,he lik things lik  dat4 
,some uv de ,jews used ter kum ter hear 
,brer ,jasper preach4 ,they  called him 
,father ,abraham and showed gret gud    
feelin' fur 'im4 ,some uv  'em used ter 
meet him in de ,cap'tol ,squar' an' dey 
would have great ole  talks tergudder1  
an' he didn't mind tellin' 'em de truth 
an' he told  'em dat dey wuz de chilrun 
uv ,abraham1 but dat dey had gone all to
  pieces4    8,dey tell me he never went
 ter skule 'cep' six months1 an' ,i hear
 dat  he jes' studied wid a man dat     
taught him in a ,new ,york ,speller     
book2  but when he spoke at de ,y4 ,m4  
,c4 ,a4 and many uv de white gemmen went
  ter hear 'im1 they say he certainly   
used ellergunt language4 ,i know he     
could handle great words when he wanted 
to1 an' he could talk in de old  way1   
an' he often loved to do dat40          

,,ix    ,,jasper',s ,,sermon ,,on 8,,dem
 ,,sebun ,,wimmin0      8,did yer ebur  
git yer mine on wat ,iz'er say in       
chapter fo' an' vurs  wun8 ,listen ter  
hiz wurds3 #8,an' sebun wimmin shall tek
 hol' uv wun man  in dat day1 sayin' we 
will eat our own bread an' wear our own 
'parrel2  only let us be called by ,thy 
name2 tek ,thou erway our reproach4' ,de
  ,profit iz furloserfizin' 'bout de    
mattur uv wimmin1--speshully wen dar  is
 sebun in de lan'1 wen wars dun thin out
 de men and de wimmins feels  de stings 
an' bites uv reproach4 ,i tell yer1 yer 
bettur not fling yer  gibes an' sneers  
at er 'omun4 ,she wuzn't made ter stan' 
it1 an' wats  mo'1 she ain't gwine ter  
stan' it4 ,shure ez yer iz settin' on   
dat bench  she will fly erway an' hide  
hersef1 or she will fly at yer1 an' den1
  ole fellur1 yer had bettur be pullin' 
out fer de tall timbur fast4 ,gord  dun 
settled it dat wun 'omun iz nuff fer a  
man1 an' two iz er war on  yer          
hans1--bles yer1 it is4    8,but dar    

kums times wen it goze hard wid wimmin4 
,dey iz lef out uv de  lottry uv        
heavun1--dey draws blanks an' dey gits  
ter be a laughin'  stock uv de ungodly4 
,not dat dey iz crazy ter marry an' not 
dat dey iz  uv dat flautin'1 slatturn   
lot dat's allus gallantin' eroun'       
ertryin'  ter git a man ter 'sport um4  
,dese wuz squar1 alrite wimmin4 ,wurk   
wud  not skeer um4 ,dey wuz willin' ter 
mek dere bread an' cloes1 ter pay  dere 
own way1 purvidid dey cud be ,mrs4      
,sumbody1 an' in dat way 'skape  de     
dev'lish jeers an' slites uv base men4  
,fur my part1 ,i feels quite  sorry fur 
dat class uv ladiz1 an' ,i kinder feels 
my blud gittin' up wen  ,i finds folks  
castin' reproachiz on dere fair names4  
8,but my mastur in de skies6 ,dis       
pikshur here uv de ,profit iz too much  
fer me4 ,it mek me feel lik tekin' ter  
de woods1 in quick ordur4 ,lord1  wat   
wud ,i do ef ,i wuz pursued by er army  
uv seben wimmin axin me ter  'low each  
wun uv um ter be call'd ,mrs4 ,jasper8  

,it may be dat each wun  wuz fer hersef 
ter de limit1 an' hoped ter shet out de 
udder six an'  hev de man ter           
hersef2--an' ef she wuz ter hev 'im     
ertall she ort ter  hav all uv im4 ,dar 
iz not nuff ter d'vide2 ,i tel yer1 dar 
ain't1 an'  wen yer git er haf intrest  
in er man yer iz po' indeed1 an' ef only
 wun  sevunth iz yourn1 yer had es wel  
start on ter de po'house 'fo yer git    
yer dinner4    8,a gud 'omun can't byar 
ter be oberluked4 ,it ain't her nature1 
an' it  iz a site fer de anguls ter see 
wat sort uv men sum wimmin wil tek      
sooner dan be lef' out inti'ly4    8,but
 wat gits me arter all iz a man4 ,i see 
'im in de quiet uv de  day1--de ,sabbuth
 day4 ,he teks a strole fer de koolin'  
uv hiz mine1  erwearin' uv hiz nice     
cloes1 an' feelin' lik a new man in de  
,city  ,kounsil2 de fust thing he know'd
 a lady glide up ter 'im an' put her    
han' lite on hiz arm4 ,he jump 'roun'   
an' she say1 mity flush'd up1  #8'skuse 
me6'    8,he see at wunst she er lady1  

but he wuz kinder lo' in hiz sperrit1   
an'  yit he wish in hiz hart dat she had
 gon ter de udder en uv de rode1 but  he
 want ter hear her out4    8,she tel 'im
 de site uv a man wuz medsin fer bad    
eyes1 dat nurly all uv  'em wuz cut down
 in de war an' dat in konsquens it wuz  
er lonesum time  fer wimmin2 dey hev    
nobody now ringin' de do' bells in de   
eebnin2 no  boys sendin' 'em flowers an'
 'fekshuns2 no sweetarts tekin' 'em     
walkin'  on ,sunday arternoons1 an'     
weddins gwine out er fashun4 ,an' dis   
ain't de  wust uv it4 ,it mek us shamed4
 ,de wives1--dey purrades roun' an'     
brags  'bout dere 'ole mans' an' cuts   
der eye at us skornful2 an' de husban's 
iz mity nigh es bad1 erpokin' fun at us 
an' axin erbout de chillun4    8,she say
 yer needn' think we're crazy ter marry2
 tain't dat1 an' tain't  dat we want yer
 ter 'sport us1--no1 no6 ,we hev money  
an' kin funnish  our own vittuls an'    
cloes1 an' we kin wuk2 but it iz dat    
reproach dey  kas' on us1 de wear an'   

tear uv bein' laff'd at dat cuts us so  
deep4  ,ef ,i cud be ,mrs4              
,sumbody1--had sum proof dat ,i had de  
name uv sum  un1--sumthin' ter rub off  
de reproach4 ,dat's it1--dis            
ding-dongin' uv  de fokes at me4    8,de
 man wuz pale es linnin1 an' wuz hopin' 
ter ansur1 but fo' de wud  floo frum his
 lips ernudder 'omun hooked 'im on de   
ter side4 ,mursy uv  de ,lord6 two uv   
'em had 'im an' it luk lik dey wuz gwine
 ter rip 'im  in tew an' each tek a haf4
 ,de las' wun tel her tale jes' lik de  
fust  wun an' wuss4 ,she brung in tears 
es part uv her argurmint1 an' de ter    
wun got fretted an' used wuds dat wud   
hev konkurred 'im ef jes' den two       
mo'1--two mo'1 mine yer1 mekin' fo' in  
all1 hed not kum up an' gits er  grip on
 de gemmun1 an' hiz eyes luk lik dey'd  
pop out his hed2--wun on  each side an' 
two ter hiz face1 an' it seems he gwine 
ter faint4    8#8,yer ladiz1' he says1  
#8may be rite in yer 'thuzasm1 but yer  
iz too  menny4 ,up ter dis time ,i hev  

bin shy uv wun1 but ef ,i cud be erlowed
  ter choose jes' wun ,i mite try it4'  
8,den de fo' wimmins begun ter git shaky
 wen a nur wun sailed in1--dat's  five1 
den ernudder2 dat's six1 and den wun    
mo'--,,sebun6    8,luk1 will yer6 ,sevun
 got wun man4 ,it izn't sed wedder de   
wimmin wuz  fer a partnurship wid de man
 es de kapertul1 or wedder each uv 'em  
hoped ter beat out de udder six2 but wun
 thing we know an' dat iz dat  de po'   
man iz in de low grounds uv sorrur4 ,ter
 my min'1 de pikshur iz  mity seerus1   
ebun do it mek us smile4 ,fur my po'    
part1 ,i iz glad we  lives in fairer    
times4 ,in our day mens iz awful        
plen'ful wid us1 tho'  ,i kin not say   
dat de qualty iz fust class in ve'y     
menny4 ,but ,i thanks  de ,lord dat mos'
 enny nice leddy kin git merrid in dese 
times ef dey  choose1 an' dat wid out   
gwine out sparkin' fur de man4 ,i notis 
dat ef  she stay ter home1 ten her      
buznis1 min' her mudder1 an' not sweep  
de  streets too off'n wid her skirts1 in

 de long run her modes' sperrit  will   
win de day4 ,i ubsurv ernudder thing2 de
 unmerrid lady1 de ole  maid es sum     
calls her1--need not hang her haid4     
,jes' let her be quiet  an' surv de     
,lord2 jes' not fret 'bout wat fools    
says1--dey duz er heep  uv talkin'1 but 
it iz lik de cracklin' uv de burnin'    
sticks under de  pot1 a big fuss an' a  
littul heat4 ,fer my part1 ,i honners de
 'oman dat  b'haves hersef1 briduls her 
tongue1 duz her wuk1 an' sings es she   
goes  erlong4 ,her contentid sperrit    
beats a lazy husbun' ebry time1 an' mity
  off'n it brings er gud husbun' erlong4
    8,es fer dese fokes dat flurts an'  
skouts at ole maids dey ain' fitten  ter
 live1 an' ort ter be in de bottum uv   
,jeems ,rivur1 'cept'n' dey'd  spile de 
watur4 ,no gemmun nur no lady wud do it4
    8,now dis iz my wud 'bout de wimmin1
 an' ,i hope yer lik it1 but if yer     
doant1 jes' 'member dat ,jasper sed it1 
an' will stan' by it1 til de  cows in de
 lo'er feil' kums home40          ,x    

,,jasper ,,glimpsed ,,under ,,various   
,,lights      ,jasper's mother was near 
the century line when she died1 and he  
attained unto the extraordinary age of  
eighty-nine4 ,truly there must  have    
been rare endurance in the texture of   
the stock4 ,jasper's thoughts  did not  
turn to religion until he was           
twenty-seven and yet by reason  of his  
longevity he was a preacher for sixty   
years4 ,during twenty-five  years of    
that time he was a slave1 and he had    
about thirty-five years  of personal    
civil freedom1 during which he won the  
distinctions that  will make him a      
figure slow to pass out of history4     
,jasper can have no successor4 ,freedom 
did not change him4 ,it came too  late  
for him to be seriously affected by its 
transforming hand4 ,it  never dazzled   
him by its festive charms nor crooked   
him with prejudice  against the white   
people4 ,there was far more for him in  
the traditions1  sentiments1 and habits 
of his bondage-days than in the new     

things  which emancipation offered4 ,he 
never took up with gaudy displays which 
marked his race in the morning of their 
freedom4 ,this was especially  true as  
to his ministry4 ,he clung without      
apology to the old ways4 ,in  preaching1
 he spurned the new pulpit manners1 the 
new style of dress1  and all new-fangled
 tricks1 which so fascinated his race4  
,he intoned  his sermons1--at least1 in 
their more tender passages--sang the old
  revival songs of the plantations and  
factories1 and felt it a part of  his   
religion to smash1 with giant hand1 the 
innovations which the new  order was    
bringing in4 ,of all the men whom ,i    
have known this weird1  indescribable   
man cared the least for                 
opposition2--unless he believed  it     
touched his personal honour or was      
likely to injure the cause of  religion4
 ,indeed1 he liked it4 ,he was a born   
fighter and a stranger to  fear4 ,there 
was a charm in his resentments3 they    
were of a high order1  and inevitably   

commanded manly sympathy4 ,he           
instinctively identified  himself with  
the ,lord and felt that when he fought  
he was fighting  the ,lord's battles4   
,satire and sarcasm were like ,toledo   
blades in his  hands4 ,he often softened
 his attacks upon his enemies by such   
ludicrous  hits and provoking jests that
 you felt that1 after all1 his hostility
  lacked the roots of hatred4 ,he was   
far more prone to despise than to  hate 
his enemies4    ,there is a curious fact
 in connection with ,jasper's language4 
,evidently  in his early days his speech
 was atrociously ungrammatical4 ,his    
dialect1 while possessing an element of 
fascination1 was almost  unspellable4   
,during his long ministerial life his   
reading and contact  with educated      
people rooted out many of his linguistic
 excrescences4  ,there were times when  
he spoke with approximate accuracy1 and 
even with  elegance2 and yet he         
delighted1 if indeed he was conscious of
 it1 in  returning to his dialect and in

 pouring it forth unblushingly in its   
worst shape1 and yet always with telling
 effect4 ,but the wonder of his         
speaking was his practical independence 
of language4 ,when he became  thoroughly
 impassioned and his face lit with the  
orator's glory1 he  seemed to mount     
above the bondage of words3 his feet1   
his eyes1 indeed  every feature of his  
outer being became to him a new         
language4 ,if he  used words1 you did   
not notice it ,you were simply entranced
 and borne  along on the mountain-tide  
of his passion4 ,you saw nothing but    
him4 ,you  heard him2 you felt him1 and 
the glow of his soul was language enough
  to bring to you his message4 ,it ought
 to be added that no man ever used  the 
pause more eloquently or effectively    
than ,jasper1 and his smile was  logic2 
it was rhetoric2 it was blissful        
conviction4    ,those who thought that  
,jasper was a mere raver did not know4  
,logic was  his tower of strength4 ,he  
never heard of a syllogism1 but he had a

 way  of marshalling his facts and texts
 which set forth his view as clear  as  
the beaming sun4 ,the ,bible was to him 
the source of all authority1  while his 
belief in the justice and truth of ,god 
was something  unworldly4 ,he understood
 well enough his frailties1 his         
fallibility1  and the tendency of the   
human soul towards unfairness and       
deceit4 ,i  heard him say once with     
irresistible effect3 8,brutherin1 ,gord 
never  lies2 ,he can't lie4 ,men lie4 ,i
 lie sometimes1 ,i am very sorry to say 
it4 ,i oughtn't to lie1 and it hurts me 
when ,i do4 ,i am tryin' ter git  ober  
it1 and ,i think ,i will by ,gord's     
grace1 but de ,lord nevur lies40  ,his  
tone in saying this was so humble and   
candid that ,i am sure the  people loved
 him and believed in him more for what  
he said4 ,a hypocrite  could never have 
said it4 ,jasper could never be put into
 words4 ,as he  could speak without     
words so it is true that words could    
never contain  him1--never tell his     

matchless story1 never make those who   
did not hear  him and see him fully     
understand the man that he was4    ,a   
notable and pathetic episode in         
,jasper's history was the fact  that    
during the bitter days of the           
,confederacy when ,richmond was  crowded
 with hospitals1--hospitals themselves  
crowded with the  suffering1--,jasper   
used to go in and preach to them4 ,it   
was no idle  entertainment provided by a
 grotesque player4 ,he always had a     
message  for the sorrowful4 ,there is no
 extended record of his labours in the  
hospitals1 but the simple fact is that  
he1 a negro labourer with  rude speech1 
was welcomed by these sufferers and     
heard with undying  interest2 no wonder 
they liked him4 ,his songs were so      
mellow1 so  tender1 so reminiscent of   
the southern plantation and of the homes
  from which these men came4 ,his       
sermons had the ring of the old  gospel 
preaching so common in the ,south4 ,he  
had caught his manner of  preaching from

 the white preachers and they too had   
been his only  theological teachers4 ,we
 can easily understand how his genius1  
seasoned  with religious reverence1 made
 him a winsome figure to the men who    
languished through the weary days on the
 cots4 ,it cannot be said too  often    
that ,jasper was the white man's        
preacher4 ,wherever he went1 the        
,anglo-,saxon waived all racial         
prejudices and drank the truth in as it 
poured in crystal streams from his lips4
    ,quite a pretty story is told of    
,jasper at the beginnings of his        
ministry4 ,it seems that he went down   
into the eastern part of his town  one  
,sunday to preach and some boisterous   
ruffians interfered1 declaring  that a  
negro had no right to go into the pulpit
 and that they would not  allow ,jasper 
to preach4 ,a sailor who chanced to be  
present and knew  ,jasper faced these   
disorderly men and declared to them that
 ,jasper  was the smartest man in       
,virginia and that if he could take him 

to the  country from whence he had come 
he would be treated with honour and     
distinction4 ,there was also a small    
white boy standing by1 and touched  by  
the sincerity and power of ,jasper1 he  
pluckily jumped into the scene  and     
exclaimed1 8,yes1 let him go on2 what he
 says is all right4 ,i have  read it all
 in the ,bible1 and why shouldn't he    
speak80 ,the incipient  mob was         
dispersed1 and his audience was fringed 
with a multitude of  white people who   
were attracted to the scene4    ,it is  
not intended by these things said1      
concerning ,jasper's favour  with the   
white people1 to indicate that ,jasper1 
in the least degree1  was not with his  
own race4 ,far from that4 ,he loved his 
own people and  was thoroughly          
identified with them2 but he was larger 
than his race4  ,he loved all men4 ,he  
had grown up with that pleasing pride   
that the  coloured people who lived in  
prominent families had about white      
people4  ,then1 too1 he had always been 

a man who had won favour wherever he    
went1 and the white race had always had 
a respect and affection for  him4       
,jasper was never ungrateful4    ,there 
were sometimes hard passages in the road
 which ,jasper travelled4  ,at the end  
of the war he was left high and dry1    
like driftwood on  the shore4 ,he had no
 church2 no place to preach2 no         
occupation4 ,his  relations with the    
white race were shattered1 and things   
were grim  enough2 but ill-fortune could
 not break him4 ,a large part of        
,richmond  was in ashes1 and in some    
places at least the work of rebuilding  
commenced at once1--or rather a clearing
 off of the debris with a view  to      
rebuilding4 ,jasper walked out and      
engaged himself to clean bricks4        
,during the ,egyptian bondage the       
,hebrews made bricks and thought they   
had a hard lot2 but ,jasper spent the   
first days of his freedom in  the brick 
business1--a transient expedient for    
keeping soul and body  together until he

 could get on his feet again4 ,little   
thought the eager  men who were trying  
to lay the foundations for their future 
fortunes  that in the tall serious negro
 who sat whacking hour after hour at the
  bricks was one of ,god's intellectual 
noblemen4 ,born in bondage1 lowly  in   
his liberty and yet great in the gifts  
with which ,god had endowed  him1 it was
 ,jasper's nature to be almost as       
cheerful when squatted on  a pile of    
bricks and tugging at their cleaning as 
if he had a seat in  a palace and was   
feeding on royal dainties4 ,he carried  
the contented  spirit1 and that too     
while he aspired after the highest4 ,he 
did not  uselessly kick against the     
inevitable1 but he always strove for the
  best that was in his reach4    ,one of
 the most serious jars of ,jasper's life
 was his conflict with  some of his     
brethren in connection with his notable 
and regrettable  sermon on the motion of
 the sun4 ,intelligent people do not    
need to  be told that ,jasper knew      

nothing of natural science1 and that his
  venture into the field of astronomy   
was a blunder4 ,it was a matter  that   
did not in the least involve his piety  
or his salvation1 nor  even his         
ministerial efficiency4 ,his whole      
bearing in the matter was  so evidently 
sincere1 and his respect for the ,bible1
 as he understood  it1 was so unmeasured
 that it set him off rather to an       
advantage than  to a disadvantage4 ,it  
is told in another place how he was     
drawn into  the preaching of that sermon
 which gave him an odd1 and yet a       
genuine1  celebrity4 ,it was no love for
 sensation and no attempt to show his   
learning1 but simply an attempt to      
vindicate the ,bible as he understood   
it4 ,when the sermon was first delivered
 it created a wide-spread  sensation4   
,some of the coloured ministers of      
,richmond were shocked out  of their    
equanimity1 and they felt that something
 must be done4 ,it was  a case of       
hysterics4 ,in a fit of freakish courage

 some of them made an  attack on        
,jasper4 ,a letter was written to a     
,richmond paper and signed  by several  
prominent negro ,baptists1 one of them  
being the pastor of a  strong church4   
,in this letter ,jasper's sermons were  
bitterly denounced1  and they were      
spoken of as 8a base fabrication10 out  
of time and place1  and doing more harm 
than good4 ,it was said further that    
those sermons  had drawn such crowds    
that it had resulted in the injury of a 
number of  persons1 and that a better   
way for the author of these sermons     
would  be for him to preach ,jesus      
,christ and ,him crucified4    ,some    
time after this the ,ebenezer ,baptist  
,church called a conference  to consider
 the situation and to see if matters    
could not be adjusted4  ,jasper was an  
ardent believer in the independence of  
the individual  ,baptist church1 and he 
was summoned to appear before that      
conference4  ,he refused to go1 saying  
that he did not recognize the authority 

of  the church to interfere with him4   
,thereupon they sent a committee to  him
 inviting him to come and make any      
statement that he wished to make        
concerning the question at issue4    ,he
 went4 ,the point in the published      
letter concerning ,jasper that was  most
 offensive to him was the statement as  
to 8base fabrication40 ,that  hit him   
between the joints of the harness4 ,his 
soul was stirred with a  furious        
resentment1 and when he got before that 
council and fell afoul  of the three men
 who had charged him with 8a base       
fabrication0 it was  a day not to be    
forgotten4 ,when he had got through it  
would be hard to  say how many baskets  
would have been required to hold the    
fragments4  ,the man who had really     
written the letter suddenly discovered  
that it  had no reference on the earth  
to ,brother ,jasper4 ,it was intended to
  answer something that had been said in
 a paper in ,new ,york4 ,attempts  were 
made to refresh his memory4 ,quite a    

respectable minister reminded  this     
letter writer that they had talked      
together concerning this  letter1 and   
that the attention of the writer was    
called to the 8base  fabrication0 part  
of it1 but the memory of the brother    
could not be  revived4 ,no stimulant    
could reach the case4 ,other folks might
 charge  ,brother ,jasper with base     
fabrication1 but not this man4 ,it was a
  lamentable and discreditable          
conclusion4 ,he was crippled in both    
feet  and respected by none4 ,this ended
 the matter4 ,jasper strode away from   
the council with the marks of victory   
about him2 and while bad feeling  could 
not die at once1 yet the attacks on     
,jasper went entirely out of  fashion4  
,let it be added that there were        
multitudes who shared the  prejudice    
against this old warrior1 but little    
cared he4 ,on he went his  fine way1    
growing in nobleness1 and loving the    
,god in whom he believed4    ,jasper's  
pleasures were of the meditative sort4  

,for a long time his  church gave him an
 ample vacation in the summer4 ,he      
retired to the  country and courted its 
quiet4 ,his only sport was fishing along
 the  streams1 and that suited his task4
 ,if the fish didn't bite1 his  thoughts
 always did4 ,like the fish they ran in 
schools1 but unlike the  fish they ran  
in all weathers and in all seasons4 ,but
 ,jasper never  achieved marked success 
in the art of recreation4 ,go where he  
might1  his fame was there to confront  
and to entangle him4 ,demands for him   
to preach always came in hot and thick1 
and there was hardly a ,sunday  when    
,jasper was in the country that he was  
not surrounded by a crowd  and preaching
 with ever-glowing fervour and delight4 
,indeed1 ,jasper  was sought after to   
dedicate churches1 deliver lectures and 
to preach  special sermons in every part
 of ,virginia1 and often beyond it4 ,it 
was  said that he preached in almost    
every county and city in ,virginia4 ,he 
was the one ever sought ,virginia       

preacher1 and in that respect he stood  
unmatched by any man of his race4    ,as
 a rule1 ,jasper did not preach very    
long sermons4 ,his ,sunday  afternoon   
sermons very rarely exceeded fifty      
minutes in length1 but  on extraordinary
 occasions he took no note of time4     
,jasper was not  a sermon-maker4 ,he did
 not write them1 and homiletics was a   
thing  of which he had never heard4 ,he 
was fond of pictorial preaching and     
often selected historical topics1 such  
as 8,joseph and ,his ,brethren0 or      
8,daniel in the ,lion's ,den10 or 8,the 
,raising of ,lazarus40 ,he had quite  a 
large stock of special sermons1--sermons
 which had grown by special  use1 and   
which embodied the choicest creations of
 his mind4 ,these  he preached over and 
over again and in his own pulpit1 and   
without  apology to anybody4 ,but after 
all the themes which interested him most
  profoundly and on which he preached   
with unsurpassed ardour and rapture     
were the fundamental doctrines of the   

,scriptures4 ,the last sermon he  ever  
preached was on ,regeneration2 and on   
many phases of the ,christian  system he
 preached with consummate ability4 ,he  
believed fully in the  doctrine of      
future punishment1 and his description  
of the fate of the  lost made the       
unbelieving quake with terror and       
consternation4 ,his  preaching was of   
that fervid1 startling1 and threatening 
sort1 well  suited to awaken religious  
anxieties and to bring the people to a  
public confession4 ,he was his own      
evangelist1--did chiefly the work of    
bringing his congregation to repentance1
 and the growth of his church  consisted
 almost entirely of the fruit of his own
 ministry4 ,his church  on the island   
began with nine members1 and it was     
reported that there  were over #b1jjj at
 the time of his death4 ,he had uncommon
 caution about  receiving people into   
his church4 ,he was not willing to take 
people  to count1 and he preached       
searchingly to those who were thinking  

of  applying for membership4    ,just   
two little and yet important things call
 for a place in this  chapter4 ,jasper  
was an inexorable debt-payer4 ,the only 
debt that he  could tolerate was a      
church debt1 and he could ill tolerate  
that4 ,the  unsettled account of his    
great new church building grappled him  
like  a nightmare4 ,it was his burden in
 the day and his torturing dream at     
night4 ,even during his dying days the  
church debt haunted and depressed  him1 
and loud among his parting exhortations 
was his insistent plea  that the church 
debt should be speedily paid4    ,in his
 early life ,jasper contracted the use  
of tobacco1--as1 indeed1  almost his    
entire race did1 and he was also quite  
free with the use of  alcoholic         
drinks1--though never1 so far as is     
known1 to the extent of  intoxication4  
,no question as to his sobriety has ever
 ridden the air4  ,but these habits     
lingered with him long after he entered 
the ministry1  and even until he was    

winning enviable and far-spreading      
favour as a  preacher4 ,so far as known1
 these facts did not becloud his        
reputation  nor interfere with his work4
 ,of course1 he never entered a barroom1
  and never drank convivially1 but he   
kept liquor in his house1 and took  it  
as his choice dictated4 ,but gradually  
it worked itself into his  conscience   
that these things were not for the best1
 and without the  least ostentation or  
even publicity he absolutely abandoned  
the use  both of tobacco and alcoholic  
drinks4 ,he made no parade about it1 and
  took on no fanatical airs4 ,just as he
 thought it was wrong to owe money      
which he could not pay and therefore    
hated a debt1 so he felt that  these    
habits1 useless at best1 might really be
 harmful to him and to  others1 and     
therefore he gave them up4              
,illustration3 ,,monument ,,over ,,john 
,,jasper',s ,,grave    ,his moral and   
religious ideals were very lofty1 and he
 lived up to  them to a degree not true 

of many4 ,not long after his death a    
really  magnificent monument was erected
 over his grave4 ,it was quite costly1  
and the money for it was raised by his  
church people and other lovers  of whom 
he had legions4 ,while he lived1        
legislators1 judges1 governors1  and    
many men of eminent distinction1 went to
 hear him preach4 ,many of  the most    
distinguished white ministers of the    
country made it a point  to go to his   
church on ,sunday afternoon whenever    
they were in the city1  and he was      
justly ranked as one of the attractions 
of ,richmond4    ,now that he has found 
his grave not far from the site of his  
church1  and this stately shaft has been
 placed as a sentinel over his dust1    
multitudes as they come and go will     
visit the tomb of the most  original1   
masterful1 and powerful negro preacher  
of the old sort that  this country has  
ever produced4          ,,xi            
,,sermon3--,,the ,,stone ,,cut ,,out    
,,of ,,the ,,mountain    7,text1 ,daniel

 #b3de47      ,this rugged specimen of  
historical eloquence constituted the    
sermon  delivered on ,sunday afternoon1 
,july #bj1 #ahhd4 ,jasper mounted the   
pulpit  with the dash of an athlete and 
tripped around the platform during the  
preliminaries with the air of a racer4  
,a sense of strength imparted to  his   
face the triumphant glow4 ,a smile      
parted his lips1 and told the  secret of
 an animated and aggressive courage4    
8,i stan's befo' you to-day on legs of  
iron and nun kin stay me from  preachin'
 de ,gospil uv de ,lord ,gord4 ,i know  
well nuff dat de ole  devul is mad as a 
tempest 'bout my bein' here2 he knows   
dat my call  ter preach kums frum ,gord1
 and dat's wat meks 'im so mad wen he   
sees  ,jasper 'scend de pulpit1 fur he  
knows dat de people is gwine ter hear  a
 messige straight frum heaven4 ,i don't 
git my sermuns out uv grammars  an'     
reterricks1 but de ,sperrit uv de ,lord 
puts 'em in my mind an' meks  'em burn  
in my soul40    ,his manner was radiant1

 courageous1 defiant1 and was prophetic 
of one  of his greatest discourses4     
8,it hev always bin one uv de ways uv   
,gord ter set up men as rulers uv  de   
people4 ,yer know dat ,gord ordains     
kings and rulers an'1--wat kinder       
bodders sum uv us1--,he don't always mek
 it a p'int ter put up good men4  ,yer  
know dat our ,lord giv ,judis a place   
'mong de twelve1 an' he turn'd  out ter 
be one uv de grandes' raskils under de  
sun4    8,jes' so ,nebukidnezzur was    
pinted uv de ,lord ter be king uv       
,babylon1--dat same robbur dat tuk de   
vessuls out uv de temple at  ,jerusalem 
an' lugged 'em away ter his own country4
 ,dat man had wun uv  de powerfullest   
kingdums evur known on dis flat earth4  
,he ruled over  many countries and many 
smaller kingdums1 an' even had under his
 hands  de servunts on de plantashun an'
 de beasts uv de feil'4 ,he was one uv  
dese unlimertid monnuks4 ,he axed nobody
 no odds1 an' did jes' wat he  wanted   
ter do1 an' ,i kinnot stop ter tell yer 

wid wat a strong hand  an' outstretched 
arm he ruled de people wid an irun rod4 
,it kum ter  pass dat one time dis king 
dat did not fear ,gord 7tho' ,gord had  
sot  him up71 had a dream4 ,dreams iz   
awfully curus things4 ,dey used ter     
frighten folks out'n dere senses an' ,i 
tell yer dey sometimes frighten  folks  
now4 ,i've had many dreams in my day dat
 got mity close ter me4  ,dey gravuled  
inter de very cords uv my soul1 an' made
 me feel lik de  groun' under my feet   
wuz libul ter giv way any time1 an' ,i  
don't dout  dat hundreds uv yer dat hear
 me now hev bin frightened an' cud not  
eat  nor sleep nor wuk wid any peace    
'caus' yer done hev strange dreams4 ,yer
  better watch dem dreams4 ,in de       
anshient days de ,lord spoke ter folks  
in  dreams4 ,he warned dem1 an' ,i don't
 dout dat ,he duz dat way sometimes     
now4    8,neberkidnezzur's dream stirred
 him powerful4 ,he rolled all night  an'
 did not sleep a wink4 ,so he sent out  
an' got de magishuns an' de  strolgurs  

an' de sorserers an' de ,kaldeuns1 an'  
dey wuz brought unter  him4 ,he tell 'em
 dat he had dreamed a dream dat had     
trubbled his  sperrit4 ,an' de ,kaldeuns
 axed him wat de dream wuz4 ,de king say
 dat de  dream done gone clear out'n    
him1 an' he can't cotch de straight uv  
it  ter save his soul4 ,he tell 'em1    
moreovur1 dat dey got ter dig up de     
dream an' work up de meanin' too1 an'   
dat ef dey don't dat he gwine  ter have 
'em cut all ter pieces an' turn dere    
houses inter a dunghill1  an' den he    
tell 'em dat ef dey will git de dream   
back fur him an' give  de explernashun  
he gwine ter give 'em nice gifs an' put 
gret honurs on  'em4 ,it waz too much   
fer de ,kaldeuns4 ,dey cudn't dream de  
king's dream  fer 'im1 an' dey kum squar
 out an' tell ,nebukidnezzur dat no man 
on de  earth cud show sich a matter ter 
de king1 an' dat in dere erpinyun dar   
is no king on de earth dat wud ax fer   
sich a thing frum proffit or  magishun4 
8,den ,nebukidnezzur got high4 ,he went 

on a tare an' yer know wen a king  gits 
mad yer better git out er his way4 ,he  
is got de power2 an' so he  up an' sent 
out a decree through all de regiuns uv  
de kingdom dat all  de wise men         
everywhar shud be slain4 ,jes' see wat a
 mad man will do wen  he git furius mad4
 ,dey got no mo' sens dan a mad tiger or
 a roarin'  lion4 ,jes' befo' de        
slaughter uv de wise men kum on1 ,daniel
 hear 'bout  it1 an' he axed de king's  
captin wat it wuz all 'bout an' why de  
king  wuz so hasty1 an' de captin tol'  
,dan'l all 'bout it4 ,dan'l brushed     
hissef up quick and struck out to see de
 king an' ax him ter hol' up de         
exercushun uv his bloody profesy1 an'   
he'd promise to splain his dream  ter   
him4 ,den ,dan'l goes off an' gits all  
his ,godly frien's togedder  an' ax 'em 
ter pray ter de ,gord uv heaven dat he  
an' his frien's shud  not perish in de  
slaughter uv de tricksters uv dat       
country4 ,one thing  de ,lord can't     
do2--,he can't refuse ter answer de     

cries uv ,his people2  an' wen all dat  
prayin' wuz gwine on ,gord appeared to  
,dan'l in de nite  an' revealed ter him 
de secret uv de king1--an' wat yer      
reckin8 ,wen de  ,lord giv ,dan'l dat   
dream an' de hinterpertashun dar of1    
,dan'l raised a  gret shout an' giv     
thanks to ,gord for wat de ,lord had    
done fer him4 ,but  he didn't shout     
long1 fer he had important bisnis ter   
attend ter2 an'  very soon he went ter  
de king an' kerried wid him de secrit   
dat de king  had demandid at de han's uv
 de erstrolgers an' magishuns4 ,he told 
de  king rite ter his face de thing dat 
he had dreamed1 an' wat ,gord meant  by 
it4 ,truly ,dan'l did behave hissef     
befo' de king in a very pretty an'      
becomin' manner4 ,he tel de king he did 
not hav no mo sens dan udder  people1   
an' dat he wuz not perpar'd to do things
 dat udder men cud do1  but dat it wuz  
by de power uv ,gord dat all dis matter 
had bin made  known ter him4 ,he tol' de
 king dat wat he saw wuz a gret imige2  

dat de  imige wuz brite an' splendid an'
 de form uv it wuz terrerbul2 dat de    
hed wuz uv fine gold1 his brest and arms
 uv silvur1 his belly an' thize  uv     
brass1 an' his legs uv irun and his feet
 part uv irun an' part uv  clay4 ,an' he
 tel de king fudder dat he saw er stone 
dat wuz cut widout  han's out'n de      
mountin an' dat de stone smote de imige 
erpun his feet  an' broke 'em in pieces1
 an' dat de stone dat brok de imige     
became a  gret mountin an' filled all de
 wurl'4 ,den ,dan'l1--dat brave an'     
feerles  bruther1 dat nevur quailed     
befo' de mitiest ruler uv de            
earth1--faced  de king an' tel 'im an   
orful an' a warnin' troof4 ,he say ter  
'im1 #8,yer  is a gret king now4 ,yer   
hav er mity country an' all power1 an'  
thy  glory civers de groun'4 ,man an'   
beas' an' foul obey yer4 ,yer iz de hed 
uv gold1 but arter yer will kum anudder 
kingdum dat shall not be lik  yourn1 but
 still it shal be big an' dar shall kum 
anudder kingdum and  dar shall be a     

fo'th kingdum strong as irun1 an' dis   
kingdum shall  brooz an' smash all de   
udder kingdums4'    8,an' den ,dan'l    
gits ter de big pint4 ,he tels de king  
dat de ,lord is  gwine ter set up er    
kingdum an' dat in de times ter kum dat 
kingdum  shall crush an' cornsume all de
 udder kingdums4 ,dat shall be de       
kingdum  uv ,gord on de earth1 an' dat  
kingdum shall stan' fer evur an' evur4  
,you  knows how yer saw de stone dat wuz
 cut out'n de mountin an' how dat  broke
 in pieces de irun1 de bras1 de clay1 de
 silvur1 an' de gold1 an'  my ,gord hev 
made known ter you1 ,o king1 wat shall  
tek place in de gret  herearter1 and dis
 is de dream an' de hinterpertashun dar 
of4    8,dat wuz a mity sermon dat      
,dan'l preached ter ,nebukidnezzur4 ,it 
ort  ter hev saved 'im1 but it look lik 
it med 'im wuss4 ,de debbul got 'im  fer
 dat time an' he turn rite agin de ,lord
 ,gord an' sot at nort ,his  stashutes  
an' countid ,his ways onholy4    8,yer  
know 'bout dat imige4 ,it wuz med uv    

gold1 an' wuz threescore  cubits high   
and six cubits wide1 an' twuz sot up in 
de plain uv ,durer1  not fer frum       
,bablun4 ,yer know er cubit is about    
eighteen inchis1 an'  ef yer multerply  
dat by threescore cubits yer git #ajhj  
inches1 wich  mean dat de imige wuz     
ninety foot high an' nine feet broad4   
,so yer see  ,nebukidnezzur got ter be a
 ,gord-makur1 an' wen he got dis gret   
imige  bilt he sont out ter git all de  
princis an' guvnurs an' all de res' uv  
de swell folks ter kum an' bow down an' 
wurshep dat gret imige dat he  had sot  
up4 ,now dis wuz de gret folly an' shame
 uv de king4 ,by dat deed  he defied de 
,lord ,gord an' de raff uv de ,lord wuz 
stirr'd agin 'im4    8,an' now1 my      
brudderin1 yer member ,dan'l tol' de    
king dat de imige  dat he saw in his    
dream wuz 'imsef rulin' over all de     
udder kingdums4  ,he tol' 'im also dat  
dat stone dat wuz cut out uv de mountin 
an' kum  rollin' down de craggy sides   
an' broke in pieces de irun1 de brass   

and de clay1 dat dat wuz de kingdum uv  
de ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,an' he  tel   
'im1 fuddermo1 dat de kummin' uv de     
stone ter be a great mountin  means de  
growth uv de kingdum uv our ,lord tel it
 shall fil dis wurl'  an' shall triumf  
over all de udder kingdums4 ,dan'l tel  
de king dat his  kingdum wuz gwine ter  
be taken frum him1 'caus' he had not    
feared de  ,gord uv heaven1 an' in his  
folly an' crimes he turned away frum dat
  ,gord dat rules in de heaven an' hols 
de nashuns uv de earth in de pams  uv   
,his han's4 ,he tol' 'im dat de kingdum 
uv ,satun1 dat arch ennimy uv  ,gord1   
wuz gwine ter tumbul flat1 'caus' dat   
stone cut out uv de mountin  wud roll   
over ,satun's derminyuns an' crush it in
 ter flinders4    8,glory ter ,gord in  
de highis'2 dat stone cut out uv de     
mountin is a  mity roller4 ,nuthin kin  
stay its terribul progris6 ,dey dat fite
 erginst  ,jerhover had bettur look     
out1--dat stone is still rollin' an' de 
fust  thing dey know it will crush down 

erpon 'em an' dey will sink ter  rise no
 mo'4 ,our ,gord is er cornsumin' fire1 
an' ,he will overturn an'  overturn tel 
de foundashuns uv sin iz brokin' up4    
,yer jes' wait er  little4 ,de time is  
fas' rollin' on4 ,evun now ,i hear my   
,saviour sayin'  ter ,his ,father1      
#8,father1 ,i kin stay here no longer2  
,i mus' git up dis  mornin'2 ,i am gwine
 out ter call ,my people frum de feil'2 
dey hav ben  abused and laughed at an'  
bin med a scoffin' long nuff fer ,my    
name's  sake4 ,i kin stay no longer4 ,my
 soul cries fer ,my chillun4 ,gabrul1   
git  down yer trumpit dis mornin'2 ,i   
want yer ter do some blowin'4 ,blow     
gently an' easy at fust1 but let ,my    
people hear your goldin notes4 ,dey     
will kum wen ,i call4'    8,ah1 my      
brutherin1 you an' ,i wil be dar wen dat
 trumpit soun's4 ,i  don' think ,i shall
 be erlarm'd1 'caus' ,i shall know it iz
 my king  marshallin' ,his people home4 
,it won't frighten you my sisters2 it   
will  hev de sweetnis uv ,jesus vois ter

 yer2 an'1 oh1 how it will ring out  dat
 happy mornin' wen our king shall kum to
 gather de ransomed uv de  ,lord ter    
'imsef4 ,den yer shall hev a new an'    
holy body1 an' wid it  your glorified   
sperrit shall be united1 an' on dat day 
we shall go in  ter see de ,father an'  
,he shall smile an' say3 #8,dese iz ,my 
chillun2 dey  hav washed dere robes and 
made dem white in de blood uv de ,lamb2 
dey  hav kum out uv gret tribberlashun  
an' dey shall be wid ,me for ever an'   
ever4' ,i speck ter be dar4    8#8,well1
 ,jasper1' yer say1 #8why yer spec ter  
be dar4 ,how yer know8' ,yer  read de   
foteenth chapter uv ,john1 will yer8    
#8,i go ter prepar er place  fer yer1'  
an' dat word is ter rule2 an' so yer    
will see ole ,john ,jasper  rite dar1   
an' ,king ,jesus shall kum out ter meet 
us an' tek us in an'  sho' us de        
manshuns dat ,he hav prepared fer us4   
8,o ,lusifer how thou hav fallin6 ,you  
proud ones will find den dat your  days 
iz over1 an' ye dat hav despised de     

chillun uv my ,gord wil sink  down inter
 hell1 jes' as low es it is posserbul   
ter git4 ,yer needn't  tel 'im dat yer  
hev preached in ,his name1 an' in ,his  
name done many  wonderful works4 ,yer   
can't fool ,him6 ,he'll frown down at   
yer an' say3 ,i  don't know yer1 an' ,i 
don't wan' ter know yer1 an' ,i don'    
wan' ter see  yer4 ,git out uv ,my site 
forever1 an' go ter your place ermong de
 lost4    8,ah1 truly1 it is a mity     
stone1 bin rollin' all dese senshuriz1  
rollin'  to-day4 ,may it roll through   
the kingdum uv darknis and crush de     
enemis  uv ,gord4 ,dat stone done got so
 big dat it is higher dan heav'n1       
broader  dan de earth1 and deeper dan   
hell hitsef4 ,but don't be deceived4    
,don't  think dat ,i don' let yer off4  
,i got somethin' more fer yer yit4      
8,yer member ,dan'l and ,shadrick1      
,meeshick an' ,erbedniggo4 ,dey all     
stubbonly fused to bow down ter         
,nebukidnezzur's golden imige4 ,dey     
stood  straight up4 ,dey wudn't bend a  

knee nor cruk a toe1 an' dem ,kaldeeuns 
wuz waatchin' um4 ,dat's de way hit     
always iz2 de debbul's folks iz  always 
er watchin' us an' tryin' ter git       
sumthin' on us an' ter git us  inter    
trubbul an' wid too many uv us dey      
succeed4 ,dey saw dat ,dan'l an'  his   
friens wud not git down lik dey dun1 an'
 up dey jumped an' away dey  cut an' kum
 ter de king4    8,oh1 king1 liv        
ferevur1' dey say4 #8,yer know1 ,o king1
 wat yer sed1--dat  dercree dat yer     
made1 dat at de soun' uv de kornit1 de  
flute1 de harp1  de sackbut1 de saltry  
an' de dulsermur an' orl kines uv musik1
 dat  ev'ry body shud fall down an'     
wurshep de goldin imige1 an' dat dose   
dat  duz not fall down an' worshep shud 
be put in de furnis2 an' now1 oh1  king1
 dey say dat a lot uv dose men dun      
refews4 ,dey doan regard yer4  ,dey hate
 yer ,gods an' spize de imige dat yer   
sot up4'    8,coarse de ole king got mad
 agin an' in his fury dey brought dese  
three  befo' him4 ,he axed um ef wat he 

had heerd 'bout um wuz so1--'bout dere  
not worsheppin' de goldin imige4        
#8,mayby yer med a mistake1' de king    
say1 #8but we gwine ter hev it ovur     
agin1 an' ef wen de ban' strikes up     
nex' time yer will git down an' worshep 
it'll go eezy wid yer1 an' ef  yer doant
 de fires in de furnis will be startid  
quick es litenin' an'  inter it ev'ry   
one uv yer shall go4'    8,dese wuz yung
 men1 but1 ah1 ,i tel yer1 dey wuz uv de
 loyul stock4  ,dey wuz jes' es kam es  
sunrise in de mornin'4 ,dey sed3 #8,oh1 
king1 we  ain' keerful ter anser 'bout  
dis mattur4 ,ef yer lik ter cas' us     
inter  de furnis1 our ,gord dat we surv 
iz abul ter git us out4 ,we ain' gwine  
ter bow1 an' we nevur will bow ter your 
,gord1 an' yer jes' es well             
understan'4'    8,rite den de men went  
ter heet up de furnis4 ,dey wuz tol' ter
 heet it  up sevun times hottur dan wuz 
de ginrul rule an' dey hed sum jiunts   
ter tie ,shedrak1 ,meeshik1 an'         
,erbedniggo1 an' dey tuk de yung men    

away  inter de furnis4 ,de heet wuz so  
terribul dat de flames shot out an' sot 
fire ter de men dat had put de ,hebru   
chillun in an' de po' retchiz wuz       
burn'd up1 but not a hair uv de three   
yung men wuz sing'd1 an' dey kum  out er
 smilin' an' not a blistur on um frum   
hed ter fut4 ,dey did not  evun hev any 
smell uv fire 'bout dere pussuns1 an'   
dey luk jes' lik dey  jes' kum out uv   
dressin' rums4    8,neberkidnezzur wuz  
dar1 an' he say3 #8,luk in dat furnis   
dar4 ,we didn't  put but three pussons  
in dar1 did we8' an' dey tol' 'im dat   
wuz so4 ,den  he tun pale an' luk       
skeered lik he gwine ter die an' he say3
    8#8,luk dar2 ,i see fo' men inside  
an' walkin' through de fire1 an' de     
form uv de fourth is lik de ,son uv     
,gord1' an' it luk lik de king got      
kunvurtid dat day1 fur he lif' up his   
vois an' shout de praiz uv de  ,gord uv 
,shedrak1 ,meeshik an' ,erbedniggo4     
8,ah1 gret iz dis story2 dey dat trus'  
in ,gord shall nevur be put  ter        

kornfushun4 ,de righteous alwaz kums out
 konkerurs an' more dan  konkerurs4     
,kings may hate yer1 frien's spize yer1 
an' cowurds bakbite  yer1 but ,gord iz  
yer durlivrur4    8,but ,i dun forgit4  
,dis ole time rerlijun iz not gud nuff  
fer sum folks  in dese las' days4 ,sum  
call dis kine uv talk foolishnis1 but   
hif dat be  troo den de ,bibul1 an'     
hevun1 an' dese ,christun's hearts1 iz  
ful uv dat  kine uv foolishnis4 ,ef dis 
be ole fogy rerlijun1 den ,i want my    
church  crowdid wid ole fogiz4    8,wat 
did ,john see ober dar in ,patmos8 ,he  
say he saw de fo' an' twenty  eldurs    
seatid roun' de throne uv ,gord an'     
castin' dere glittrin' crowns  uv gold  
at de feet uv ,king ,jesus1 an' he say  
dat out uv de throne kum  lightnin' an' 
thundurs an' voicis an' de sevun lamps  
burnin' befo'  de throne uv ,gord4 ,an' 
dar befo' de throne wuz de sea uv glass1
 an'  roun' 'bout de throne wuz de fo'  
livin' creaturs ful uv eyes befo' an'   
behine1 an' dey nevur ceas cryin'3      

#8,holy1 ,holy1 ,holy1 iz de ,lord ,gord
  almity dat died ter tek away de sins  
uv de wurl'6'    8,yer call dat ole     
fogy4 ,jes' luk away ober yondur in de  
future4 ,duz  yer see dat sea uv glass  
an' de saints uv ,gord dat wuz all      
bruised an'  mangul'd by de fi'ry darts 
uv de wickid4 ,i hear um singin'6 ,wat  
iz dere  song8 ,oh1 how it rolls6 an' de
 korus iz3 #8,redeemed1 redeemed1 wash'd
 in  de blud uv de ,lam'4 ,call dem ole 
fogiz1 do yer8 ,wel yer may1 fer dey iz 
bin doin' dat way frum de time dat      
,abel1 de fust man1 a saved soul told   
de news uv salvashun ter de anjuls4     
8#8,wel1 ,jasper1 hev yer got any       
rerlijun ter giv way8'    8,i'se free   
ter say dat ,i ain't got es much es ,i  
want4 ,fur forty-five  years ,i bin     
beggin' fur mo'1 an' ,i ax fur mo' in   
dis tryin' hour4 ,but1  bless ,gord1    
,i's got rerlijun ter giv way4 ,de ,lord
 hev fil'd my hands  wid de ,gorspil1   
an' ,i stan' here ter offur free        
salvashun ter any dat  wil kum4 ,ef in  

dis big crowd dar iz one lost sinnur dat
 hev not felt de  klinsin' tech uv my   
,saviur's blud1 ,i ax 'im ter kum terday
 an' he shall  nevur die40              
,,xii    ,,facts ,,concerning ,,the     
,,sermon ,,on ,,the ,,sun      ,let me  
say in frankness that when ,i originally
 began this appreciation  of ,john      
,jasper it was my full purpose to omit  
from it all reference to  his very      
notorious sermon on 8,the ,sun ,do      
,move40 ,that was the one thing  in his 
life ,i most regretted--an episode that 
,i was quite willing to  commit to      
oblivion4 ,i felt that it was a distinct
 discredit to him4  ,but upon further   
reflection ,i have concluded that the   
omission might  hurt him far more than  
the facts in the case possibly could4   
,inasmuch  also as it was that very     
sermon which drew to him such           
wide-spread  attention1 and since there 
are those who never heard him1 nor heard
 of  him except in connection with that 
sermon1 ,i have decided to give the     

public the facts in the case and the    
sermon itself4 ,in this chapter  ,i will
 give a history of the sermon1 and in   
the next ,i will give the  substance of 
the sermon4 ,it is due to my old friend 
and brother1  ,jasper1 to say that he   
really never intended to create a       
sensation  by preaching on an exciting  
or unusual topic4 ,this he most solemnly
  declared1 and while he was several    
sensations himself in a single  bunch1  
and while almost every sermon that he   
preached produced wild  and thrilling   
sensations1 he did not work for that4   
,he started his  chief sensations by    
preaching the ,gospel in such a hot1    
pungent1 and  overmastering way that his
 people could not contain themselves4   
,jasper  tells us how it all came about4
 ,two of his brethren1 members of his   
flock1 fell into a friendly dispute as  
to whether the sun did revolve  around  
the earth or not4 ,as they could not    
decide the question1 and  neither would 
yield1 they finally agreed to submit the

 question to  their old pastor1 solemnly
 believing1 ,i dare say1 that there was 
no  mystery in earth1 sea1 or sky that  
he could not fathom4    ,when ,jasper's 
theme went abroad it called forth some  
very scornful  criticisms from one of   
his ,baptist neighbours--one of the     
8eddicatid  preachers10 as ,jasper      
delighted to call them1 though in       
certain moods  he often finished his    
sentence by branding them as eddicatid  
fools4  ,when he heard of the strictures
 mentioned above1 he let fly some shot  
at white heat as a response to the      
attacks on him4 ,when he got a  thing in
 his blood the amenities of controversy 
sometimes lost their  place in his      
memory4 ,he would let fly flings of     
satire that would be  toothsome topics  
for street gossip for many summer       
,sundays4 ,things  for zestful chat     
rarely ran short when ,jasper was about4
 ,he expressed  much regret that he had 
come in conflict with the 8furlosofurs0 
of the  day1 freely confessing his      

ignorance in the matter of              
8book-larnin'40  ,his knowledge1 he     
said1 was limited to the ,bible1 and    
much of that he  did not feel that he   
could explain4 ,but on the question     
about the sun  he was sure that he      
possessed the true light4 8,i knows de  
way uv de  sun1 as de ,wurd of ,gord    
tells me10 he declared in his warlike   
manner1  8an' ef ,i don' pruv' dat de   
sun moves den yer may pos' me as er lier
  on ev'ry street in ,richmun'40 ,by    
this time his war paint was plainly     
visible1 and his noble defiance rang out
 like a battle call4    ,the occasion on
 which ,i heard his 8astronomical       
sermon10 as one of his  opponents       
deridingly dubbed it1 was not at its    
first presentation4 ,he  had delivered  
it repeatedly before and knew his       
ground4 ,the gleam of  confidence and   
victory shone clear and strong on his   
face4    ,the audience looked like a    
small nation4 ,long before the solemn   
janitor1 proud of his place1 strict to  

the minute1 swung open the front  doors1
 the adjacent streets swarmed with the  
eager throngs4 ,instantly  there was a  
rush1 and in surged the people1 each    
anxious to get a seat4  ,the spacious   
house was utterly inadequate to the     
exigencies of the  hour4 ,many crowded  
the aisles1 disposed themselves around  
the pulpit1  sat on pew-arms1 or in     
friendly laps4    ,jasper's entrance was
 quite picturesque4 ,he appeared in the 
long aisle  wearing a cape overcoat1    
with a beaver in one hand1 and his cane 
in the  other1 and with a dignity not   
entirely unconscious4 ,his officers rose
  to welcome him1 one removing his great
 coat1 another his head piece1  and yet 
another his cane4 ,as he ascended the   
pulpit he turned and  waved a happy     
greeting to his charge and it fairly set
 his emotional  constituents to         
shouting4 ,many loving words were said  
out in a rattling  chorus in token of   
their happiness at seeing him4    ,it is
 more than probable that some of        

,jasper's young people had notions  of  
their own as to his views of the sun2   
but never a word would they  let slip   
that could mortify their beloved old    
pastor1 or give a whisper  of comfort to
 his critics4 ,they were for ,jasper1   
and the sun might go  its way4 ,they    
believed in their pastor1 believed in   
his goodness1 his  honesty1 and his     
greatness4    ,in the opening exercises 
there occurred several characteristic   
incidents4 ,he requested his choir to   
open by singing1 8,the ,heavens         
,declare the ,glory of ,god40 ,this was 
at once a proof of his seriousness  and 
of his sense of the fitting4    ,when he
 arose to read the ,scriptures1 he      
glanced around at his  audience1 and    
bowing in pleased recognition of the    
many white people  present1 he said with
 unaffected modesty that he hoped that  
the 8kin'  frens who'd come ter hur me  
would 'scuse my urrors in readin'4 ,my  
eyes  is gitting weak an' dim1 and ,i'se
 slow in making out de hard wurds40     

,then he proceeded with utmost reverence
 to read the passage selected  for the  
service4 ,he was not a good reader1 but 
there was a sobriety and  humility in   
his manner of reading the ,scriptures   
that made one always  feel a peculiar   
respect for him4    ,there may be place 
here for a passing word about this most 
original  and picturesque representative
 of his race4 ,jasper had a respect for 
himself that was simply tremendous4     
,unconsciously he carried a lofty       
crest1 and yet you knew there was no    
silly conceit in it4 ,his walk  along   
the street was not that of a little man 
who thought all eyes were  upon him1 but
 of a giant who would hide from himself 
and from others  the evidences of his   
power4 ,his conversation carried an     
assertion of  seriousness--his tones    
were full of dignity--his bearing seemed
 to  forbid any unseemly freedom--and in
 public you saw at once that he  was    
holding himself up to a high standard4  
,of course1 when he was in  the high    

frenzy of public speech and towering to 
his finest heights  he lost the sense of
 himself1 but he was then riding the    
wind and  cleaving the sky and no rules 
made by men could apply to him4 ,but    
along  with self-appreciation1--always  
one of his attractions to me1--was a    
noble and delicate respect for others4  
,he loved his own people1 and  they     
lived in the pride of it1 but he had a  
peculiarly hospitable and  winsome      
attitude towards strangers4 ,he was     
quite free in his cordiality  towards   
men1 and ,i delighted to see how my     
coming to hear him pleased  him4 ,in his
 off-hand way1 he said to me one ,sunday
 afternoon as he  welcomed me to the    
pulpit3 8,glad to see you2 it does me   
good to have  folks around whar got     
sense2 it heps me ter preach better4    
,mighty tough  to talk to folks whar    
ain' got no brains in de head40    ,he  
had a double consciousness that was     
always interesting to me4 ,he was       
always full of solicitude about his     

sermon4 ,it lay a burden on him1 and  it
 required no expert to discover it4 ,he 
had so much sincerity that  his heart   
told its secrets through his face4 ,but 
think not that this  made him oblivious 
to his surroundings4 ,his heart was up  
towards the  throne1 and his soul was   
crying for strength1 but his eye was    
open to  the scene before him4 ,the     
sight of the audience intoxicated him2  
the  presence of notable people caught  
his gaze and gladdened him2 tokens of   
appreciation cheered him1 and he paid   
good price in the way of smiles  and    
glances to those who showed that he was 
doing them good4 ,it made a  rare       
combination--his concern for his        
message1 and his happy pride in  his    
constituents4 ,it gave a depth to his   
feeling and a height to his  exultation4
 ,he swung between two great emotions   
and felt the enrichment  of both4       
,the text for his sermon was a long cry 
from his topic4 ,it was3 8,the  ,lord   
,god is a man of war2 ,the ,lord is ,his

 name40 ,he was too good a  sermon-maker
 to announce a text and abandon it      
entirely1 and so he  roamed the ,old    
,testament to gather illustrations of   
the all-conquering  power of ,god4 ,this
 took him over a half hour to develop1  
and as it took  even much longer to     
formulate his argument as to the        
rotation of the  sun it made his sermon 
not only incongruous1 but intolerably   
long--far  longer than any other sermon 
that ,i ever knew him to preach4 ,the   
two  parts of the discourse had no      
special kinship1 while the first part   
tired the people before he reached the  
thing they came for4 ,it was an  error  
in judgment1 but his power to entertain 
an audience went far to  save him from  
the consequences of his mistake4    ,the
 intelligent reader will readily        
understand the drift of his  contention 
about the sun4 ,what he said1 of course1
 was based on the  literal statements of
 the ,old ,testament1 written many      
centuries ago1  not as a treatise on    

astronomy1 but in language fitted to    
express ideas  from the standpoint of   
the times in which it was used4 ,jasper 
knew  of no later discoveries in the    
natural world1 and1 therefore1 very     
sincerely believed with religious       
sincerity1 and all the dogmatism of     
ignorance1 that the declarations of the 
old ,scriptures were true in  very jot  
and tittle4 ,it is apparent enough that 
to the enlightened  people who went to  
hear the address merely for amusement   
there was  rare fun in the whole        
performance4 ,to them1 ,jasper was an   
ignorant old  simpleton1 a buffoon of   
the pulpit1 a weakling to be laughed at4
 ,and  yet hardly that4 ,he was so dead 
in earnest1 and withal so shrewd in     
stating his case1 so quick in turning a 
point1 and brimming with such  choice   
humour and sometimes flashing out such  
keen1 telling strokes of  sarcasm1 that 
he compelled the admiration of his      
coldest critics4 ,to  the untutored     
people before him ,jasper was the       

apostle of light4 ,they  believed every 
syllable that fell from his lips--he was
 the truth to  them--they stood where   
other honest and godly people stood for 
ages and  saw things just as they saw   
them4 ,their opinion as to the sun did  
not  in the least affect their piety1   
for1 as a fact1 they believed just      
exactly as the grandfathers of ,jasper's
 critics believed sixty years  before4  
,it was worth while being there4 ,jasper
 was in his most flexible1  masterful   
mood1 and he stormed the heights with   
his forces in full  array4 ,at times1   
the negroes would be sending forth peals
 of laughter  and shouting in wildest   
response1 8,yas1 ,lord2 dat's so1 ,brer 
,jasper2  hit 'em ergin1 bless ,god6    
,glory1 glory1 tell us more1 ole man60  
,then he  would fly beyond the sun and  
give them a glimpse of the ,new         
,jerusalem1  and they would be crying   
and bursting forth with snatches of song
 until  you would think the end had     
come4 ,but not so by ever so much4 ,a   

word  from ,jasper would bring the      
stillness of death1 and he would be the 
master again and ready for new flights4 
,when the excitement about the sermon   
was at its full blow1 human greed1  ever
 keen-scented1 sensed money in ,jasper  
and his sermon1 and laid a  scheme to   
trade on the old man and his message4 ,a
 syndicate was formed  to send him out  
as a lecturer1 hoping that the ,northern
 love for the  negro1 and the catchiness
 of the subject1 would fill vast halls  
with  crowds to hear the old man1 and   
turn in rich revenues1 of which they    
would reap the larger part4    ,jasper1 
for reasons by no means mercenary1 was  
tickled by this new turn  in fortune4   
,he was not wanting in the pride of     
successful ambition1 and  this new proof
 of his growing distinction naturally   
pleased him4 ,fame  was pinning her     
medals fast upon him1 and he liked it4  
,not that he was  infatuated with the   
notion of filling his private pocket4   
,as a fact1 he  never uttered in my     

hearing one sentence that showed his    
love of money1  or his eagerness to get 
it4 ,but he was much wedded to the idea 
of a new  house of worship for his      
people1 and any proper method that would
 aid  in bringing this happy            
consummation was joy to his generous old
 soul4  ,his heart dwelt with his flock1
 and to honour and cheer them was life  
to him4    ,of course1 his church fell  
in with the idea4 ,anything to please   
8,brother ,jasper0 was the song of their
 lives4 ,it looked wonderfully  grand to
 them to see glory crowning their pastor
 and gold pouring in to  build them a   
temple4 ,it was with pomp and glee they 
sent him away4 ,the  day of his         
departure was celebrated with general   
excitement and with  cheering groups at 
the train4    ,but in some way          
providence did not get identified with  
the new  enterprise4 ,the first half of 
his sermon was a trial to people set  on
 sensation4 ,the ,lord in his military  
character did not appeal4  ,some        

actually retired after the first part1  
and an eclipse to hopes  uncounted fell 
over the scene4 ,jasper1 as a show1     
proved a failure1 for  which the devout 
may well give thanks4 ,he got as far as 
,philadelphia1  and even that           
historically languid city found life too
 brief and  brisk to spend in listening 
for ninety-odd minutes to two           
uncongenial  discourses loosely bundled 
into one4 ,the old man had left the     
sweet  inspiration of his demonstrative 
church in ,richmond1 and felt a chill   
of desolation when he set foot on alien 
soil4 ,the tides of invisible  seas     
fought against him1 empty benches       
grinned at him1 and he got  homesick4   
,the caravan collapsed1 the outfit      
tumbled into anarchy1 the  syndicate    
picked up the stage clothes and stole   
out in the night-gloom1  the undaunted  
but chagrined ,jasper made a straight   
shoot for ,richmond2  ever after the    
,jasper ,lecture ,bureau was a myth1    
without ancestry or  posterity4         

,think not that there was chill in the  
air when ,jasper struck ,richmond  on   
his return4 ,no word of censure awaited 
him4 ,his steadfast adherents  hailed   
him as a conqueror and his work went on4
 ,his enemies--an envious  crop ever    
being on hand--tossed a few stones over 
the back fence1 but  ,jasper had a keen 
relish for battle1 and was finest when  
his foes were  the fiercest4 ,antagonism
 gave zest to his dramatic career4      
,permit the writer to slip in here a    
word as to ,jasper's devotion to  his   
old master1 ,mr4 ,samuel ,hargrove4 ,i  
knew ,mr4 ,hargrove well4 ,he  was a man
 with a heart4 ,i knew him as an old man
 while ,i was young4  ,he had a suburban
 home near ,manchester1 his business and
 church were  in ,richmond4 ,i often saw
 him in my congregation at the          
,bainbridge  ,street ,baptist church1   
,manchester1 and thus often met him4    
,shrinking1  without public gifts1 full 
of kindliness1 and high in his life1 he 
commanded the heart of his servant who  

to the last delighted to honour  his    
memory4 ,their relations did not prevent
 their mutual respect and  affection4   
,the hideous dogma of social equality   
never thrust itself  into their life4   
,they had good-will and esteem one for  
the other1  and lived together in peace4
 ,jasper was a lover and admirer of     
white  people1 and delighted to serve   
and honour them1 and in return the      
white people were fond of him and glad  
to help him4    ,i rejoice that this old
 minister1 the quaint and stern veteran1
 came  in ,god's time to a righteous    
fame4 ,public opinion is an eccentric   
and  mysterious judge4 ,it has an       
unarticulated code for fixing the rank  
and  fate of mortals4 ,it is a large and
 ill-sorted jury1 and its decisions     
often bring surprise at the time1 but   
they never get reversed4 ,the  jurymen  
may wrangle during the trial1 but when  
it emerges from the  council room and   
renders the verdict1 no higher court    
ever reverses its  final word4    ,hard 

and adverse was the life of ,jasper6    
,for years many hostile forces  sought  
to unhorse and cripple him4 ,it would   
require books to hold the  slanders and 
scandals laid to his charge4 ,the       
archers used poisoned  arrows1 and often
 tore his flesh and fancied that they   
had him1 but  his bow abode in strength4
 ,meanwhile1 the public1 that jury of   
the  many1 sat still and watched1       
weighing the evidence1 listening to the 
prosecutors1 unravelling conflicting    
testimony1 and feeling the way to       
justice4 ,in the midst of it all1 the   
brave old chieftain died1 while  the    
trial was yet going on4 ,the jury was   
long silent1 but it has spoken  at last1
 and the verdict is1 that the name of   
this veteran of the cross  shall be     
enrolled among the fearless1 the        
faithful1 and the immortal4  ,he endured
 as seeing the invisible and now he     
sees4          ,,xiii    ,,the ,,sun    
,,do ,,move      ,in presenting ,john   
,jasper's celebrated sermon on 8,de ,sun

 ,do ,move10 ,i  beg to introduce it    
with several explanatory words4 ,as     
intimated in  a former chapter it is of 
a dual character4 ,it includes an       
extended  discussion1 after his peculiar
 fashion1 of the text1 8,the ,lord ,god 
is  a man of war2 the ,lord is ,his     
name40 ,much that he said in that part  
of  his sermon is omitted1 only so much 
being retained as indicates his  view of
 the rotation of the sun4 ,it was really
 when he came into this  part of his    
sermon that he showed to such great     
advantage1 even though  so manifestly in
 error as to the position which he tried
 so manfully to  antagonize4 ,it was of 
that combative type of public speech    
which always  put him before the people 
at his best4 ,i never heard this sermon 
but  once1 but ,i have been amply aided 
in reproducing it by an elaborate  and  
altogether friendly report of the sermon
 published at the time by  ,the         
,richmond ,dispatch4 ,jasper opened his 
discourse with a tender  reminiscence   

and quite an ingenious exordium4        
8,low me ter say10 he spoke with an     
outward composure which revealed an     
inward but mastered swell of emotion1   
8dat when ,i wuz a young man and  a     
slave1 ,i knowed nuthin' wuth talkin'   
'bout consarnin' books4 ,dey wuz  sealed
 mysteries ter me1 but ,i tell yer ,i   
longed ter break de seal4 ,i  thusted   
fer de bread uv learnin'4 ,when ,i seen 
books ,i ached ter git  in ter um1 fur  
,i knowed dat dey had de stuff fer me1  
an' ,i wanted ter  taste dere contents1 
but most of de time dey wuz bar'd aginst
 me4    8,by de mursy of de ,lord a     
thing happened4 ,i got er               
room-feller--he wuz  a slave1 too1 an'  
he had learn'd ter read4 ,in de dead uv 
de night he  giv me lessons outen de    
,new ,york ,spellin' book4 ,it wuz hard 
pullin'1 ,i  tell yer2 harder on him1   
fur he know'd jes' a leetle1 an' it made
 him  sweat ter try ter beat sumthin'   
inter my hard haid4 ,it wuz wuss wid me4
  ,up de hill ev'ry step1 but when ,i   

got de light uv de less'n into my       
noodle ,i farly shouted1 but ,i kno'd ,i
 wuz not a scholur4 ,de consequens  wuz 
,i crep 'long mighty tejus1 gittin' a   
crum here an' dar untel ,i cud  read de 
,bible by skippin' de long words1       
tolerable well4 ,dat wuz de  start uv my
 eddicashun--dat is1 wat little ,i got4 
,i mek menshun uv dat  young man4 ,de   
years hev fled erway sense den1 but ,i  
ain't furgot my  teachur1 an' nevur     
shall4 ,i thank mer ,lord fur him1 an'  
,i carries his  mem'ry in my heart4     
8',bout seben months after my gittin'   
ter readin'1 ,gord cunverted my  soul1  
an' ,i reckin 'bout de fust an' main    
thing dat ,i begged de ,lord  ter give  
me wuz de power ter und'stan' ,his      
,word4 ,i ain' braggin'1 an' ,i  hates  
self-praise1 but ,i boun' ter speak de  
thankful word4 ,i b'lieves  in mer heart
 dat mer pra'r ter und'stand de         
,scripshur wuz heard4 ,sence  dat time  
,i ain't keer'd 'bout nuthin' 'cept ter 
study an' preach de  ,word uv ,god4     

8,not1 my bruthrin1 dat ,i'z de fool ter
 think ,i knows it all4 ,oh1 mer        
,father1 no6 ,fur frum it4 ,i don'      
hardly und'stan myse'f1 nor ha'f uv de  
things roun' me1 an' dar is milyuns uv  
things in de ,bible too deep fur        
,jasper1 an' sum uv 'em too deep fur    
ev'rybody4 ,i doan't cerry de keys  ter 
de ,lord's closet1 an' ,he ain' tell me 
ter peep in1 an' ef ,i did ,i'm  so     
stupid ,i wouldn't know it when ,i see  
it4 ,no1 frens1 ,i knows my place  at de
 feet uv my ,marster1 an' dar ,i stays4 
8,but ,i kin read de ,bible and git de  
things whar lay on de top uv de  soil4  
,out'n de ,bible ,i knows nuthin' extry 
'bout de sun4 ,i sees 'is  courses as he
 rides up dar so gran' an' mighty in de 
sky1 but dar is  heaps 'bout dat flamin'
 orb dat is too much fer me4 ,i know dat
 de sun  shines powerfly an' po's down  
its light in floods1 an' yet dat is     
nuthin' compared wid de light dat       
flashes in my min' frum de pages of     
,gord's book4 ,but you knows all dat4 ,i

 knows dat de sun burns--oh1 how  it did
 burn in dem ,july days4 ,i tell yer he 
cooked de skin on my back  many er day  
when ,i wuz hoein' in de corn feil'4    
,but you knows all dat1  an' yet dat is 
nuthin' der to de divine fire dat burns 
in der souls uv  ,gord's chil'n4 ,can't 
yer feel it1 bruthrin8    8,but 'bout de
 courses uv de sun1 ,i have got dat4 ,i 
hev dun rang'd thru  de whole blessed   
book an' scode down de las' thing de    
,bible has ter say  'bout de movements  
uv de sun4 ,i got all dat pat an' safe4 
,an' lemme say  dat if ,i doan't giv it 
ter you straight1 if ,i gits one word   
crooked or  wrong1 you jes' holler out1 
#8,hol' on dar1 ,jasper1 yer ain't got  
dat  straight1' an' ,i'll beg pardon4   
,if ,i doan't tell de truf1 march up on 
dese steps here an' tell me ,i'z a liar1
 an' ,i'll take it4 ,i fears ,i do  lie 
sometimes--,i'm so sinful1 ,i find it   
hard ter do right2 but my ,gord  doan't 
lie an' ,he ain' put no lie in de ,book 
uv eternal truf1 an' if ,i  giv you wat 

de ,bible say1 den ,i boun' ter tell de 
truf4    8,i got ter take yer all dis   
arternoon on er skershun ter a great    
bat'l  feil'4 ,mos' folks like ter see  
fights--some is mighty fon' er gittin'  
inter fights1 an' some is mighty quick  
ter run down de back alley when  dar is 
a bat'l goin' on1 fer de right4 ,dis    
time ,i'll 'scort yer ter a  scene whar 
you shall witness a curus bat'l4 ,it tuk
 place soon arter  ,isrel got in de     
,promus ,lan'4 ,yer 'member de people uv
 ,gibyun mak frens  wid ,gord's people  
when dey fust entered ,canum an' dey wuz
 monsus smart  ter do it4 ,but1 jes' de 
same1 it got 'em in ter an orful fuss4  
,de  cities roun' 'bout dar flar'd up at
 dat1 an' dey all jined dere forces  and
 say dey gwine ter mop de ,gibyun people
 orf uv de groun'1 an' dey  bunched all 
dar armies tergedder an' went up fer ter
 do it4 ,wen dey  kum up so bol' an'    
brave de ,giby'nites wuz skeer'd out'n  
dere senses1  an' dey saunt word ter    
,joshwer dat dey wuz in troubl' an' he  

mus' run  up dar an' git 'em out4       
,joshwer had de heart uv a lion an' he  
wuz up  dar d'reckly4 ,dey had an orful 
fight1 sharp an' bitter1 but yer might  
know dat ,ginr'l ,joshwer wuz not up dar
 ter git whip't4 ,he prayed an' he      
fought1 an' de hours got erway too peart
 fer him1 an' so he ask'd de  ,lord ter 
issure a speshul ordur dat de sun hol'  
up erwhile an' dat de  moon furnish     
plenty uv moonshine down on de lowes'   
part uv de fightin'  groun's4 ,as a     
fac'1 ,joshwer wuz so drunk wid de      
bat'l1 so thursty fer  de blood uv de   
en'mies uv de ,lord1 an' so wild wid de 
vict'ry dat he  tell de sun ter stan'   
still tel he cud finish his job4 ,wat   
did de sun  do8 ,did he glar down in    
fi'ry wrath an' say1 ' ,what you talkin'
 'bout  my stoppin' for1 ,joshwer2 ,i   
ain't navur startid yit4 ,bin here all  
de  time1 an' it wud smash up ev'rything
 if ,i wuz ter start'8 ,naw1 he ain'    
say dat4 ,but wat de ,bible say8 ,dat's 
wat ,i ax ter know4 ,it say dat  it wuz 

at de voice uv ,joshwer dat it stopped4 
,i don' say it stopt2  tain't fer       
,jasper ter say dat1 but de ,bible1 de  
,book uv ,gord1 say so4  ,but ,i say    
dis2 nuthin' kin stop untel it hez fust 
startid4 ,so ,i knows  wat ,i'm talkin' 
'bout4 ,de sun wuz travlin' long dar    
thru de sky wen  de order come4 ,he     
hitched his red ponies and made quite a 
call on de  lan' uv ,gibyun4 ,he purch  
up dar in de skies jes' as frenly as a  
naibur  whar comes ter borrer sumthin'1 
an' he stan' up dar an' he look lak he  
enjoyed de way ,joshwer waxes dem wicked
 armies4 ,an' de moon1 she wait  down in
 de low groun's dar1 an' pours out her  
light and look jes' as  ca'm an' happy  
as if she wuz waitin' fer her 'scort4   
,dey nevur budg'd1  neither uv 'em1 long
 as de ,lord's army needed er light to  
kerry on de  bat'l4    8,i doan't read  
when it wuz dat ,joshwer hitch up an'   
drove on1 but ,i  'spose it wuz when de 
,lord tol' him ter go4 ,ennybody knows  
dat de sun  didn' stay dar all de time4 

,it stopt fur bizniz1 an' went on when  
it  got thru4 ,dis is 'bout all dat ,i  
has ter do wid dis perticl'r case4  ,i  
dun show'd yer dat dis part uv de       
,lord's word teaches yer dat de  sun    
stopt1 which show dat he wuz movin'     
befo' dat1 an' dat he went on           
art'rwuds4 ,i toll yer dat ,i wud prove 
dis an' ,i's dun it1 an' ,i derfies     
ennybody to say dat my p'int ain't made4
    8,i tol' yer in de fust part uv dis 
discose dat de ,lord ,gord is a man uv  
war4 ,i 'spec by now yer begin ter see  
it is so4 ,doan't yer admit it8  ,when  
de ,lord cum ter see ,joshwer in de day 
uv his feers an' warfar1  an' actu'ly   
mek de sun stop stone still in de       
heavuns1 so de fight kin  rage on tel   
all de foes is slain1 yer bleeged ter   
und'rstan' dat de  ,gord uv peace is    
also de man uv war4 ,he kin use bofe    
peace an' war ter  hep de reichus1 an'  
ter scattur de host uv de ailyuns4 ,a   
man talked ter  me las' week 'bout de   
laws uv nature1 an' he say dey carn't   

poss'bly  be upsot1 an' ,i had ter laugh
 right in his face4 ,as if de laws uv   
ennythin' wuz greater dan my ,gord who  
is de lawgiver fer ev'rything4 ,my      
,lord is great2 ,he rules in de heavuns1
 in de earth1 an' doun und'r de  groun'4
 ,he is great1 an' greatly ter be       
praised4 ,let all de people bow  doun   
an' wurship befo' ,him6    8,but let us 
git erlong1 for dar is quite a big lot  
mo' comin' on4 ,let  us take nex' de    
case of ,hezekier4 ,he wuz one of dem   
kings of ,juder--er  mighty sorry lot ,i
 mus' say dem kings wuz1 fur de mos'    
part4 ,i inclines  ter think ,hezekier  
wuz 'bout de highes' in de gin'ral      
avrig1 an' he  war no mighty man        
hisse'f4 ,well1 ,hezekier he got sick4  
,i dar say dat a  king when he gits his 
crown an' fin'ry off1 an' when he is    
posterated  wid mortal sickness1 he gits
 'bout es commun lookin' an' grunts an' 
rolls1 an' is 'bout es skeery as de res'
 of us po' mortals4 ,we know dat        
,hezekier wuz in er low state uv min'2  

full uv fears1 an' in a tur'ble         
trub'le4 ,de fac' is1 de ,lord strip him
 uv all his glory an' landed him  in de 
dust4 ,he tol' him dat his hour had     
come1 an' dat he had bettur  squar up   
his affaars1 fur death wuz at de do'4   
,den it wuz dat de king  fell low befo' 
,gord2 he turn his face ter de wall2 he 
cry1 he moan1 he  beg'd de ,lord not ter
 take him out'n de worl' yit4 ,oh1 how  
good is our  ,gord6 ,de cry uv de king  
moved his heart1 an' he tell him he     
gwine ter  give him anudder show4       
,tain't only de kings dat de ,lord      
hears4 ,de cry  uv de pris'nur1 de wail 
uv de bondsman1 de tears uv de dyin'    
robber1 de  prars uv de backslider1 de  
sobs uv de womun dat wuz a sinner1      
mighty  apt to tech de heart uv de      
,lord4 ,it look lik it's hard fer de    
sinner  ter git so fur orf or so fur    
down in de pit dat his cry can't reach  
de  yere uv de mussiful ,saviour4       
8,but de ,lord do evun better den dis   
fur ,hezekier--,he tell him ,he gwine   

ter give him a sign by which he'd know  
dat what ,he sed wuz cummin' ter  pars4 
,i ain't erquainted wid dem sun diuls   
dat de ,lord toll ,hezekier  'bout1 but 
ennybody dat hes got a grain uv sense   
knows dat dey wuz de  clocks uv dem ole 
times an' dey marked de travuls uv de   
sun by dem  diuls4 ,when1 darfo' ,gord  
tol' de king dat ,he wud mek de shadder 
go  backwud1 it mus' hev bin jes' lak   
puttin' de han's uv de clock back1  but1
 mark yer1 ,izaer 'spressly say dat de  
sun return'd ten dergrees4  ,thar yer   
are6 ,ain't dat de movement uv de sun8  
,bless my soul4  ,hezekier's case beat  
,joshwer4 ,joshwer stop de sun1 but heer
 de ,lord mek  de sun walk back ten     
dergrees2 an' yet dey say dat de sun    
stan' stone  still an' nevur move er    
peg4 ,it look ter me he move roun'      
mighty brisk  an' is ready ter go       
ennyway dat de ,lord ordurs him ter go4 
,i wonder if  enny uv dem furloserfers  
is roun' here dis arternoon4 ,i'd lik   
ter take  a squar' look at one uv dem   

an' ax him to 'splain dis mattur4 ,he   
carn't  do it1 my bruthr'n4 ,he knows a 
heap 'bout books1 maps1 figgers an' long
  distunces1 but ,i derfy him ter take  
up ,hezekier's case an' 'splain it  orf4
 ,he carn't do it4 ,de ,word uv de ,lord
 is my defense an' bulwurk1 an'  ,i     
fears not what men can say nor do2 my   
,gord gives me de vict'ry4    8',low me1
 my frens1 ter put mysef squar'bout dis 
movement uv de sun4 ,it  ain't no       
bizniss uv mine wedder de sun move or   
stan' still1 or wedder  it stop or go   
back or rise or set4 ,all dat is out er 
my han's 'tirely1  an' ,i got nuthin'   
ter say4 ,i got no the-o-ry on de       
subjik4 ,all ,i ax is  dat we will take 
wat de ,lord say 'bout it an' let ,his  
will be dun 'bout  ev'rything4 ,wat dat 
will is ,i karn't know 'cept ,he whisper
 inter my  soul or write it in a book4  
,here's de ,book4 ,dis is 'nough fer me1
 and  wid it ter pilut me1 ,i karn't git
 fur erstray4    8,but ,i ain't dun wid 
yer yit4 ,as de song says1 dere's mo'   

ter foller4  ,i envite yer ter heer de  
fust vers in de sev'nth chaptur uv de   
book  uv ,reverlashuns4 ,what do ,john1 
und'r de pow'r uv de ,spirit1 say8 ,he  
say he saw fo' anguls standin' on de fo'
 corners uv de earth1 holdin'  de fo'   
win's uv de earth1 an' so fo'th4 ',low  
me ter ax ef de earth is  roun'1 whar do
 it keep its corners8 ,er flat1 squar   
thing has corners1  but tell me where is
 de cornur uv er appul1 ur a marbul1 ur 
a cannun  ball1 ur a silver dollar4 ,ef 
dar is enny one uv dem furloserfurs     
whar's  been takin' so many cracks at my
 ole haid 'bout here1 he is korjully    
envited ter step for'd an' squar up dis 
vexin' bizniss4 ,i here tell  you dat   
yer karn't squar a circul1 but it looks 
lak dese great scolurs  dun learn how   
ter circul de squar4 ,ef dey kin do it1 
let 'em step ter  de front an' do de    
trick4 ,but1 mer brutherin1 in my po'   
judgmint1 dey  karn't do it2 tain't in  
'em ter do it4 ,dey is on der wrong side
 of de  ,bible2 dat's on de outside uv  

de ,bible1 an' dar's whar de trubbul    
comes  in wid 'em4 ,dey dun got out uv  
de bres'wuks uv de truf1 an' ez long ez 
dey stay dar de light uv de ,lord will  
not shine on der path4 ,i ain't  keer'n 
so much 'bout de sun1 tho' it's mighty  
kunveenyunt ter hav it1  but my trus' is
 in de ,word uv de ,lord4 ,long ez my   
feet is flat on de  solid rock1 no man  
kin move me4 ,i'se gittin' my orders    
f'um de ,gord of  my salvashun4         
8,tother day er man wid er hi coler and 
side whisk'rs cum ter my house4  ,he was
 one nice ,north'rn gemman wat think a  
heap of us col'rd people  in de ,souf4  
,da ar luvly folks and ,i honours 'em   
very much4 ,he seem  from de start      
kinder strictly an' cross wid me1 and   
arter while1 he  brake out furi'us and  
frettid1 an' he say3 #8,erlow me ,mister
 ,jasper ter  gib you sum plain advise4 
,dis nonsans 'bout de sun movin' whar   
you ar  gettin' is disgracin' yer race  
all ober de kuntry1 an' as a fren of    
yer peopul1 ,i cum ter say it's got ter 

stop4' ,ha6 ,ha6 ,ha6 ,mars' ,sam       
,hargrove nuvur hardly smash me dat way4
 ,it was equl to one ov dem ole         
overseurs way bac yondur4 ,i tel him dat
 ef he'll sho me ,i'se wrong1 ,i  giv it
 all up4    8,my6 ,my6 ,ha6 ,ha6 ,he    
sail in on me an' such er storm about   
science1 nu  'scuv'ries1 an' de ,lord   
only knos wat all1 ,i ner hur befo'1 an'
 den he  tel me my race is ergin me an' 
po ole ,jasper mus shet up 'is fule     
mouf4    8,wen he got thru--it look lak 
he nuvur wud1 ,i tel him ,john ,jasper  
ain'  set up to be no scholur1 an' doant
 kno de ferlosophiz1 an' ain' tryin'    
ter hurt his peopul1 but is wurkin' day 
an' night ter lif 'em up1 but  his foot 
is on de rock uv eternal truff4 ,dar he 
stan' and dar he is  goin' ter stan' til
 ,gabrul soun's de judgment note4 ,so er
 say to de  gemman wat scol'd me up so  
dat ,i hur him mek his remarks1 but ,i  
ain'  hur whar he get his ,scriptu'     
from1 an' dat 'tween him an' de wurd of 
de  ,lord ,i tek my stan' by de ,word of

 ,gord ebery time4 ,jasper ain' mad3  he
 ain' fightin' nobody2 he ain' bin      
'pinted janitur to run de sun3 he       
nothin' but de servunt of ,gord and a   
luver of de ,everlasting ,word4 ,what   
,i keer about de sun8 ,de day comes on  
wen de sun will be called frum his      
race-trac1 and his light squincked out  
foruvur2 de moon shall turn ter  blood1 
and this yearth be konsoomed wid fier4  
,let um go2 dat wont skeer  me nor      
trubble ,gord's erlect'd peopul1 for de 
word uv de ,lord shell  aindu furivur1  
an' on dat ,solid ,rock we stan' an'    
shall not be muved4    8,is ,i got yer  
satisfied yit8 ,has ,i prooven my p'int8
 ,oh1 ye whose  hearts is full uv       
unberlief6 ,is yer still hol'in' out8 ,i
 reckun de  reason yer say de sun don'  
move is 'cause yer are so hard ter move 
yerse'f4 ,you is a reel triul ter me1   
but1 nevur min'2 ,i ain't gi'n yer  up  
yit1 an' nevur will4 ,truf is mighty2 it
 kin break de heart uv stone1  an' ,i   
mus' fire anudder arrur uv truf out'n de

 quivur uv de ,lord4 ,if  yer haz er    
copy uv ,god's ,word 'bout yer pussun1  
please tu'n ter dat  miner profit1      
,malerki1 wat writ der las' book in der 
ole ,bible1 an'  look at chaptur de     
fust1 vurs 'leben2 what do it say8 ,i   
bet'r read it1  fur ,i got er noshun yer
 critics doan't kerry enny ,bible in    
thar pockits  ev'ry day in de week4     
,here is wat it says3 #8,fur from de    
risin' uv de  sun evun unter de goin'   
doun uv de same ,my name shall be great 
'mong  de ,gentiles4444 ,my name shall  
be great 'mong de heathun1 sez de ,lord 
uv hosts4' ,how do dat suit yer8 ,it    
look lak dat ort ter fix it4 ,dis  time 
it is de ,lord uv hosts ,hisse'f dat is 
doin' de talkin'1 an' ,he  is talkin' on
 er wonderful an' glorious subjik4 ,he  
is tellin' uv de  spredin' uv ,his      
,gorspel1 uv de kummin' uv ,his larst   
vict'ry ovur de  ,gentiles1 an' de      
wurldwide glories dat at de las' ,he is 
ter git4 ,oh1 my  bruddrin1 wat er time 
dat will be4 ,my soul teks wing es ,i   

erticipate  wid joy dat merlenium day6  
,de glories as dey shine befo' my eyes  
blin's  me1 an' ,i furgits de sun an'   
moon an' stars4 ,i jes' 'members dat    
'long  'bout dose las' days dat de sun  
an' moon will go out uv bizniss1 fur    
dey won' be needed no mo'4 ,den will    
,king ,jesus come back ter see ,his     
people1 an' ,he will be de suffishunt   
light uv de wurl'4 ,joshwer's  bat'ls   
will be ovur4 ,hezekier woan't need no  
sun diul1 an' de sun an'  moon will fade
 out befo' de glorius splendurs uv de   
,new ,jerruslem4    8,but wat der mattur
 wid ,jasper4 ,i mos' furgit my bizniss1
 an' mos' gon'  ter shoutin' ovur de far
 away glories uv de secun' cummin' uv my
 ,lord4  ,i beg pardun1 an' will try ter
 git back ter my subjik4 ,i hev ter do  
as de sun in ,hezekier's case--fall back
 er few dergrees4 ,in dat part  uv de   
,word dat ,i gin yer frum ,malerki--dat 
de ,lord ,hisse'f spoke--,he  klars dat 
,his glory is gwine ter spred4 ,spred8  
,whar8 ,frum de risin'  uv de sun ter de

 goin' down uv de same4 ,wat8 ,doan't   
say dat1 duz it8  ,dat's edzakly wat it 
sez4 ,ain't dat cleer 'nuff fer yer8 ,de
 ,lord pity  dese doubtin' ,tommusses4  
,here is 'nuff ter settul it all an'    
kure de  wuss cases4 ,walk up yere1 wise
 folks1 an' git yer med'sin4 ,whar is   
dem  high collar'd furloserfurs now8    
,wat dey skulkin' roun' in de brush fer8
  ,why doan't yer git out in der broad  
arternoon light an' fight fer yer       
cullurs8 ,ah1 ,i un'stans it2 yer got no
 answer4 ,de ,bible is agin yer1  an' in
 yer konshunses yer are convictid4      
8,but ,i hears yer back dar4 ,wat yer   
wisprin' 'bout8 ,i know2 yer say yer    
sont me sum papurs an' ,i nevur answer  
dem4 ,ha1 ha1 ha6 ,i got 'em4 ,de       
differkulty 'bout dem papurs yer sont me
 is dat dey did not answer me4  ,dey    
nevur menshun de ,bible one time4 ,yer  
think so much uv yoursef's  an' so      
little uv de ,lord ,gord an' thinks wat 
yer say is so smart dat  yer karn't even
 speak uv de ,word uv de ,lord4 ,when   

yer ax me ter stop  believin' in de     
,lord's ,word an' ter pin my faith ter  
yo words1 ,i ain't  er gwine ter do it4 
,i take my stan' by de ,bible an' res'  
my case on wat  it says4 ,i take wat de 
,lord says 'bout my sins1 'bout my      
,saviour1 'bout  life1 'bout death1     
'bout de wurl' ter come1 an' ,i take wat
 de ,lord say  'bout de sun an' moon1   
an' ,i cares little wat de haters of mer
 ,gord  chooses ter say4 ,think dat ,i  
will fursake de ,bible8 ,it is my only  
,book1  my hope1 de arsnel uv my soul's 
surplies1 an' ,i wants nuthin' else4    
8,but ,i got ernudder wurd fur yer yit4 
,i done wuk ovur dem papurs dat  yer    
sont me widout date an' widout yer name4
 ,yer deals in figgurs an'  thinks yer  
are biggur dan de arkanjuls4 ,lemme see 
wat yer dun say4  ,yer set yerse'f up   
ter tell me how fur it is frum here ter 
de sun4  ,yer think yer got it down ter 
er nice p'int4 ,yer say it is #c1cci1jjb
  miles frum de earth ter de sun4 ,dat's
 wat yer say4 ,nudder one say  dat de   

distuns is #ab1jjj1jjj2 nudder got it   
ter #bg1jjj1jjj4 ,i hers  dat de great  
,isuk ,nutun wuk't it up ter            
#bh1jjj1jjj1 an' later on de            
furloserfurs gin ernudder rippin' raze  
to #ej1jjj1jjj4 ,de las' one  gits it   
bigger dan all de yuthers1 up to        
#ij1jjj1jjj4 ,doan't enny uv  'em ergree
 edzakly an' so dey runs a guess game1  
an' de las' guess  is always de bigges'4
 ,now1 wen dese guessers kin hav a      
kunvenshun in  ,richmun' an' all ergree 
'pun de same thing1 ,i'd be glad ter    
hear frum  yer ag'in1 an' ,i duz hope   
dat by dat time yer won't be ershamed uv
 yer  name4    8,heeps uv railroads hes 
bin built sense ,i saw de fust one wen  
,i wuz  fifteen yeers ole1 but ,i ain't 
hear tell uv er railroad built yit ter  
de sun4 ,i doan' see why ef dey kin     
meshur de distuns ter de sun1 dey  might
 not git up er railroad er a telurgraf  
an' enabul us ter fin'  sumthin' else   
'bout it den merely how fur orf de sun  
is4 ,dey tell  me dat a kannun ball cu'd

 mek de trep ter de sun in twelve years4
  ,why doan' dey send it8 ,it might be  
rig'd up wid quarturs fur a few         
furloserfers on de inside an' fixed up  
fur er kumfurterble ride4 ,dey  wud need
 twelve years' rashuns an' a heep uv    
changes uv ramint--mighty  thick clo'es 
wen dey start and mighty thin uns wen   
dey git dar4    8,oh1 mer bruthrin1 dese
 things mek yer laugh1 an' ,i doan' blem
 yer fer  laughin'1 'cept it's always   
sad ter laugh at der follies uv fools4  
,if  we cu'd laugh 'em out'n kount'nens1
 we might well laugh day an' night4     
,wat cuts inter my soul is1 dat all dese
 men seem ter me dat dey is  hittin' at 
de ,bible4 ,dat's wat sturs my soul an' 
fills me wid reichus  wrath4 ,leetle    
keers ,i wat dey says 'bout de sun1     
purvided dey let de  ,word uv de ,lord  
erlone4 ,but nevur min'4 ,let de heethun
 rage an' de  people 'madgin er vain    
thing4 ,our ,king shall break 'em in    
pieces an'  dash 'em down4 ,but blessed 
be de name uv our ,gord1 de ,word uv de 

,lord  indurith furivur4 ,stars may     
fall1 moons may turn ter blood1 an' de  
sun  set ter rise no mo'1 but ,thy      
kingdom1 oh1 ,lord1 is frum evurlastin' 
ter  evurlastin'4    8,but ,i has er    
word dis arternoon fer my own brutherin4
 ,dey is de people  fer whose souls ,i  
got ter watch--fur dem ,i got ter stan' 
an' report at  de last--dey is my sheep 
an' ,i'se der shepherd1 an' my soul is  
knit  ter dem forever4 ',tain fer me ter
 be troublin' yer wid dese questions    
erbout dem heb'nly bodies4 ,our eyes    
goes far beyon' de smaller stars2  our  
home is clean outer sight uv dem        
twinklin' orbs2 de chariot dat  will cum
 ter take us to our ,father's mansion   
will sweep out by dem  flickerin' lights
 an' never halt till it brings us in    
clar view uv de  throne uv de ,lamb4    
,doan't hitch yer hopes to no sun nor   
stars2 yer  home is got ,jesus fer its  
light1 an' yer hopes mus' trabel up dat 
way4  ,i preach dis sermon jest fer ter 
settle de min's uv my few brutherin1    

an' repeats it 'cause kin' frens wish   
ter hear it1 an' ,i hopes it will  do   
honour ter de ,lord's ,word4 ,but       
nuthin' short of de purly gates can     
satisfy me1 an' ,i charge1 my people1   
fix yer feet on de solid ,rock1 yer     
hearts on ,calv'ry1 an' yer eyes on de  
throne uv de ,lamb4 ,dese strifes  an'  
griefs 'll soon git ober2 we shall see  
de ,king in ,his glory an'  be at ease4 
,go on1 go on1 ye ransom uv de ,lord2   
shout ,his praises as  yer go1 an' ,i   
shall meet yer in de city uv de ,new    
,jeruserlum1 whar we  shan't need the   
light uv de sun1 fer de ,lam' uv de     
,lord is de light uv  de saints40       
,,xiv    ,,one ,,jasper ,,day ,,in ,,the
 ,,spring ,,time ,,of #ahgh    ,the     
,story of a ,spectator      ,the paper  
which follows is a composite1 embodying 
many incidents and  facts connected with
 the ,jasper sensation1 and designed to 
reflect1 so  far as possible1 the       
impression made by the fiery old        
philosopher upon  those who though out  

of sympathy with his astronomical       
notions fell as  helpless victims       
beneath the spell of his eloquence and  
honesty4    ,for quite a while the      
,jasper sensation had grown acute in    
,richmond4  ,beginning as a freak1 it   
bloomed into a fad1 got in the air1 and 
actually invaded private homes4 ,it was 
a pentecost for the curious1 a  juicy   
apple for the hard-driven reporter1 a   
festival for the scoffer1  and a roaring
 financial bonanza for the saints of    
,sixth ,mount ,zion4    ,i confess that1
 for my part1 it struck me as a         
ridiculous business  at best1 the big   
bubble of an hour1 and that if not      
caught at the  exact moment it would    
speedily disappear1 and while ,i was a  
sprig of  a reporter it was the sort of 
thing which did not come my way4 ,being1
  however1 of a prying and curious turn 
of mind ,i determined to take  one      
glimpse at the black elephant4 ,it took 
time1 however1 to get my  purpose into  
working order1 but my day came in due   

course4 ,i awoke one  morning to find   
the ,saturday papers 8festering0 with   
,jasper4 ,he was in  the advertisements1
 in the communications1 and in the local
 columns1  and the show was to come off 
the next day4 ,they told once more of   
his  astronomical absurdities1 as ,i    
believed them to be1 and informed me    
that the exhibition would come off at #c
 ,p4 ,m4 on the next afternoon4  ,at    
noon1 ,i dropped into ,reugers' for my  
lunch1 and a table of hayseed           
legislators were filling the room1 with 
noisy gabble about ,jasper and  his     
planetary crochets4 ,i found that some  
of them had signed a paper  asking for  
the approaching ,jasperian exhibition1  
and others of them  were twitting and   
punching them for their folly2 but ,i   
found that both  sides of them were     
going4    ,later in the day1 ,i got into
 a ,west ,main ,street car and found a  
seat  next to three ladies who evidently
 had a serious attack of ,jasper1  and  
they1 too1 were bargaining to go4 ,at   

the supper table in my  boarding-house  
that evening ,i found a sickly old      
,yankee minister  loafing in ,richmond  
for his health1 in a swivet of          
excitement about  ,jasper and his coming
 oration4 ,my landlady's fourteen year  
old boy told  me that his mother had    
promised that he should go to hear      
,jasper1 on  the hampering condition    
that he could get some gentleman to go  
with  him1 and his appeal for my company
 would have beaten ,jasper in the  point
 of passionate eloquence4 ,to me1 it all
 seemed a stew of folly1  and yet ,i    
found myself gratified to have this     
earnest lad as an excuse  in favour of  
my going4    ,i finally bargained with  
the eager youngster that ,i would waylay
 him  the next morning on his early     
escape from the ,sunday-school1 and we  
would stroll out into the vicinity of   
the ,sixth ,mount ,zion ,church1 and    
make a preliminary reconnaissance of the
 general situation4 ,we did not  find it
 quite a well-odoured stroll at all     

points1 particularly as we  got in the  
neighbourhood of the church1 for we     
encountered a tangle of  streets and    
alleys some of which were not in the    
best condition4    ,not long after      
crossing ,broad ,street we began to run 
afoul of squads  and groups of coloured 
people1 and the total strain of their   
chat was  ,jasper and what was coming   
later on4 ,the nearer we came to the    
church1  the combat1 as the poet said1  
deepened1 that is1 the groups multiplied
  and the ,jasperian element grew4 ,a   
huge negro woman hanging on a  side-gate
 on ,clay ,street was shouting in a     
piping voice about ,jasper  and the sun1
 and telling to several dumb listeners  
that 8she wuz gwine  ter be dar ef de   
,lord #8sparred' her an' it wuz de las' 
thing she done  on de yerth40    ,i     
observed also several of those ,virginia
 solons already  mentioned1--those big  
footed1 badly shaven1 and consequential 
legislators1--prowling in the           
neighbourhood of the church1 as if they 

were studying and planning for          
burglaries4 ,as we meandered the crooked
  streets which admitted us to a sight  
of the great ,sixth ,mount ,zion1  we   
saw in every direction the sign of a    
prodigious expectancy4 ,front  yards1   
streets1 and alleys had their           
contingents1 and you could not get      
within ear-shot without getting some    
novel and surprising hints as to  ,john 
,jasper and the ,solar ,system4 ,we     
could hear singing in the church1  and  
we assumed that something in the way of 
worship was in process4  ,that1 however1
 was not ,,it4 ,that was a tame and     
pithless performance1  and if ,jasper   
was in it at all he was evidently       
resting his better  forces for the      
bigger battle at three o'clock in the   
impending  afternoon4    ,the attraction
 on the inside was out of gear and      
didn't draw4 ,my young  companion1 who  
was vastly my superior as to the ,jasper
 situation1  informed me with marked    
conviction that the thing for us to do1 

and  to do at once and with a rush1 was 
to go back to the house1 swallow  our   
dinner1 and get back with the utmost    
speed4 ,we did not get away1  however1  
before we noted that all avenues in the 
vicinity of the church  seemed to be    
filling4 ,some were coming and going2   
some were knotted  into groups looking  
very solemn and apparently awestruck1   
and some  were crowding in like late    
comers at a circus2 but whenever you    
caught  a word it had to do with        
,jasper4 ,as we walked away1 the son of 
my  landlady1 full of the fidgets and   
outraged by my slow motion remarked     
sagely3 8,ain't he got 'em80 ,i had to  
admit it2 he had 'em1--by a grip        
tighter than if he had 'em by the nape  
of the neck4 ,evidently enough1  he had 
them1 and in a bunch as big as the town4
    ,but ,i didn't know it fully then4  
,being untutored in ,jasper's holding   
power1 ,i was fresh enough to suppose   
that all that buzzing1 swarming  gang of
 negroes would scatter away to their    

frugal ,sunday meal1 and  that the      
alleys and streets would empty into     
their usual vacancy1  though the boy's  
mien of hurry and eagerness was warning 
me to the  contrary4 ,he mentioned      
several times that from what other boys 
had told  him we must go very early1 and
 in order to gratify him we got out of  
the boarding-house at a quarter after   
one1 and we needed only fifteen  minutes
 of quiet walking to get a front seat4  
,shades of the ,pharaohs and shadows of 
the ,pyramids6 ,as we headed  towards   
the seat of planetary conflict the      
streets looked like black  rivers4      
,great lines of blacks1 relieved here   
and there by companies of  whites1      
thronged the sidewalks4 ,were           
,hannibal's ,carthagenian legions  being
 turned loose in ,richmond8 ,or had some
 mighty earthquake ripped  open the     
foundations of ,richmond1 and were the  
people1 caked with the  soot1 fleeing   
for life8 ,it was more tranquil than    
that1 thank heaven6  ,it was however the

 town1 upheaved and agitated1 striving  
fiercely for  ,sixth ,mount ,zion1 to   
hear the supreme sensation of all his   
race1--as  ,i now began to realize he   
was4 ,squares before we got to the      
church we  collided with the returning  
tide4 8,no use of going10 they          
said1--8house  already packed2 streets  
full1 men fighting and women fainting10 
and a  deal more of the same sort4      
,but these appalling things only urged  
me on4 ,if there was to be a  congestion
 or a catastrophe1 it was just to my    
taste as well as to  my profession to   
attend4 ,besides1 ,i had in me a        
desperate purpose to  get into that     
house1 and ,i promised the boy that we'd
 sink or swim  together4 ,i understood  
it was perfectly scriptural to rip off  
the roof  as the last resort4 ,the      
occasion had jumped the common road1 and
 it  was folly to falter now before any 
obstacle4 ,the fight through that  mob  
has left me some marks to be noticed    
when ,i am dressed for my  burial4 ,my  

toes were tramped into jelly4 ,at one   
time ,i was lifted by a  rush1 and one  
of my knees aches yet in bad weather as 
a consequence4  ,several times ,i       
thought the landlady's boy was doomed to
 become an  unrecognizable mangle4 ,it  
began to sift into me that ,jasper was  
more  than a man1 and nothing short of  
an entire situation and a public        
menace4 ,my business was more and more  
to see him4    ,the church1 when first  
seen1 looked like a tall boat borne on  
the heads  of thousands1 and yet ,i     
pushed along4 ,now1 right here1 ,i have 
to drop  my honesty and become a        
hypocrite4 ,how ,i got into that house  
must not  be told4 ,there is a muscular1
 ginger-bread fellow who stays in the   
office down town1 and he broke all rules
 and ,i know not how many bones1  and1  
miraculous as it was1 landed me and the 
boy into the pulpit with  blood on the  
boy's nose4    ,now1 excuse me from     
describing the music and the praying1   
though ,i  would like to mention that   

the song that the old darkey in the     
,amen  corner with the white nape and   
the quivering voice started up1 and     
which it looked to me like all the      
people in the world were singing1       
rather jerked me out of myself and took 
me off on its waves1 and when ,i  got   
back ,i had to use my handkerchief in an
 unusual way4    ,jasper made a prayer  
also1 and the way he talked to the ,lord
 about his  own meanness and his        
ignorance1 knocked out of me about half 
of my  notion that he was a dribbling   
old egotist and numbskull4 ,he caused   
cold chills to pass up my back by       
several surprising things which he  said
 to the ,lord in a most serious way1 and
 ,i have to own that by the  time he    
said 8,amen10 ,i was a little prejudiced
 in his favour4    ,further1 allow me to
 say right here that ,i know positively 
that ,i  never saw so many people in a  
house of that size at one time as was in
  the church that afternoon4 ,women sat 
in each other's laps1 the pulpit  was   

piled up1 and all the spaces chinked1   
packed1 and doubled up4 ,i  ought to add
 that the look of eagerness1            
expectation1 and attention  was         
oppressive4 ,no whispering1 no looking  
around2 only silence1 except  when      
,jasper started them4 ,then you felt the
 mastery and the subduing  sovereignty  
of the man4 ,i saw that the white people
 had been favoured  in getting seats1   
and there were hordes of them4 ,the     
legislators  abounded1 and there were   
preachers1 lawyers1 notable men1        
fashionable  women1 and not a few       
strangers in ,richmond1 all herding     
together and  very serious4 ,it wasn't1 
,i confess1 what ,i expected4 ,i looked 
for a  circus1 and had hooked a         
funeral1--no1 not a funeral2 it wasn't  
dismal  enough for that1 but far more   
thoughtful and wakeful than a funeral   
can  be4    ,i looked ,jasper over with 
a critical eye1 and before he began to  
preach ,i had his age down for          
sixty-two1 but when he began to career  

over the pulpit ,i knocked off ten      
years4 ,he had an unattractive bulge  on
 his face around his cheekbone1 but his 
head looked like an alpine  cliff4 ,his 
eye1 ,i noted1 was an all sufficient    
redeemer1 and its flash  and laugh would
 cover acres of ugliness4 ,his whiskers 
were decidedly  undistinguished1 except 
in their cut1 and ,i marked his blood as
  unmixed4 ,he dressed in a manner best 
suited to prevent people from  noticing 
how he dressed1 and his tall form and   
alert action made him  attractive in the
 pulpit4    ,during the sermon he had   
something to say about himself4 8,i'll  
be  sixty-six years old on de fo'th day 
uv dis coming ,july4 ,i set out ter     
seek de salvation uv my ,gord in #ahci4 
,i have never been in any school1  but  
,i spent some months trying ter learn   
ter spell4 ,i wuz converted in  ,marse  
,sam ,hargrove's terbakur fac'try in dis
 city1 on de #beth day uv  ,july1 #ahci1
 and frum dat day ,i have know'd dat    
,gord had anintid me wid  de ,holy      

,ghost ter preach de ,gorspil uv ,his   
,son40    ,you couldn't hear ,jasper say
 that and doubt4 ,he seemed to assert a 
mastery over me from the start as to his
 sincerity4 ,it was impossible1         
moreover1 to question the honesty of    
anything he said4 ,he made another      
remark at the outset which made         
everybody smile1 but it was not a       
frivolous smile by a long shot4 ,he said
 he was so ignorant when he  first felt 
he must preach that he thought maybe    
,god wouldn't want a man  to preach who 
could not read1 and that maybe the devil
 had put that  notion into him4 ,then he
 stopped1 and with a decided smile he   
said1 8,i  got a notion dat ef de debbul
 put dis thing in me1 den he wuz a      
bigger  fool dan ,i ever thought he cud 
be4 ,i don't think he hav made much by  
settin' me out ter preach ef he did fer 
,i done knocked his kingdom hard  blows 
many a day1 but arter more dan forty    
years servin' my ,gord ,i know  who ,i  
hev b'lieved4 ,i feel dat wenever ,i    

stan' up in ,his name1 de ,lord  is wid 
me40    ,after these remarks he gave out
 his text and started in4    8,ef ,i    
don't prove ter you by de word uv my    
,gord ter day dat de sun do  move1 den  
,i ergree never ter preach agin es long 
es my head is 'bove  de clods4 ,i spek  
ebbry lady an' gentl'man presunt dis    
evenin' ter say  wedder wat ,i say is so
 or not1 arter dey hear wat ,i hav ter  
say4 ,i'll  speak out'n de ,bibul1 an'  
,i want evrybody ter mark de words dat  
,i giv  'em40    ,i found that ,jasper  
had a keen eye for business4 ,he did    
things  according to the book4 ,he had  
ferreted out of the ,bible every passage
  that bore upon the motions of the sun1
 and he had them all printed in a  sort 
of tract4 ,a copy of these passages he  
placed in the hands of every  one who   
could read and wished to follow him4 ,he
 stumbled considerably  over the big    
words1 but he skipped none1 and kept    
along1 and when he  would read a passage
 he would ask to be corrected if1 in any

 small  degree1 he had not read it as it
 ought to be4 ,he was greatly set on    
doing clean work1 and not seeming to be 
willing to fool anybody4    ,after      
reading a passage1 then 8the fun0 would 
begin4 ,he would pluck out  of it the   
part that helped his argument1 and it   
was a sight to see him  with this       
passage as if it were a broad sword4 ,he
 would charge upon his  antagonists1    
shouting and laughing1 and whacking them
 as he went until  he would close that  
part of his work in a storm of          
eloquence4 ,how he  did move the people6
 ,he moved with the stride of the       
conqueror4    ,i am not skilled in      
religious reporting and cannot undertake
 to follow  ,jasper in that fusillade of
 comment and criticism with which1 for a
  full hour and a half1 he bore down    
upon his adversaries1 crashing and      
scattering them as he went4 ,a few of   
his sayings1 however1 stuck4 ,he  drove 
them into my flesh like fangs1 and      
possibly a concrete show of  them may   

help outsiders towards a conclusion as  
to what ,jasper is after4    ,his text1 
so far as ,i could see1 was not within  
ninety-five millions  of miles of the   
question as to the movement of the sun4 
,it did however  suit exactly for that  
part of his sermon which had to do with 
the ,lord  as the defender of ,his      
ancient people4 ,he grew vivid in       
picturing  ancient ,israel travelling   
through the great wilderness1 and in    
showing  how ,god delivered them from   
all their foes4    ,his wonder as an    
orator broke out in unmeasured splendour
 as he  portrayed the power of ,god at  
the crossing of the ,red ,sea4 ,a       
pathetic  spectacle were the ,hebrew    
slaves1 as they fled out of ,egypt      
pursued by  the embattled legions of    
,pharaoh4 ,as the ,lord's people1 as he 
called  them1 got hemmed up with the sea
 in front of them and the great armies  
charging in the rear1 he actually made  
the people cry in dread and  terror lest
 these refugees should be totally       

extinguished4 ,the scene  was so        
lifelike and overmastering that shudders
 swept through the  crowd1 and women    
were wild with actual fright4 ,then when
 ,moses came2  when the rod was         
stretched over the sea and the waters1  
as if appalled  by the presence of the  
,lord ,god1 began to part and roll back 
until they  left a clear passage        
between2--why everybody could see it4   
,it was as  plain as a great road in the
 broad daylight1 and as the ,hebrews1   
with  revived hope1 in solid columns1   
moved across1 his people took fire2     
they literally shouted the children of  
,israel over4 ,jasper himself was       
leading the host1 cheering1 shouting to 
them not to be afraid1 and  telling them
 that ,god would bring them safely      
through4 ,it looked to me  as if half of
 the women were clapping their hands or 
dancing1 and the  other half were       
rolling off the benches in the excess of
 their rapture1  as the last of the     
children of ,israel came trudging out   

upon the banks4    ,but instantaneously 
,jasper brought a revulsion of feeling4 
,he  discovered the vast host of        
,pharaoh marching with music and with   
banners through the parted walls of the 
,red ,sea4 ,they were coming  too6      
,after all1 the people had shouted too  
soon4 ,the triumphant  ,egyptians would 
soon be upon them1 and the chosen of the
 ,lord1 after  all1 must be destroyed4  
,why1 look6 ,the host is half-across2   
three-fourths now1 getting nearer  and  
nearer4 8,oh1 my ,god10 ,jasper cried1  
with a shriek of despair4  8,help6 help6
 or ,thy people will be blotted out40   
,all over the house there were sobs and 
groans and cries of fright4 ,once  more 
the hand of the master was upon them1   
and he swayed them as he  would4 ,then  
with a shout he cried3 8,de walls of de 
,red ,sea are fallin'6  ,de partid      
waturs rush inter each udder's imbrace4 
,oh1 ye heavens1 shout  an' let de earth
 be glad4 ,let hell ter its mos'        
remotes' dep's quake  and cry3 #8,de    

,lord ,gord is a man uv war4 ,de ,lord  
is ,his name6' ,tell de  tidin's4 ,shout
 it everywhar dat ,gord hav' delivured  
,his people40    ,i have always liked   
fine speaking4 ,oratory has a resistless
 charm  for me4 ,i bow to the man who   
thrills me4 ,if ,jasper wasn't the soul 
of eloquence that day1 then ,i know not 
what eloquence is4 ,he painted  scene   
after scene4 ,he lifted the people to   
the sun and sank them down  to despair4 
,he plucked them out of hard places and 
filled them with  shouting4 ,as long as 
,i live all that ,red ,sea business1    
with ,egypt and  the fleeing ,hebrews   
and ,pharaoh and his great legions and  
the sea and  the ruin and the great     
deliverance1 are mine to keep as long as
 my  mental powers can act4 ,true1      
,jasper made me ridiculous three or four
  times by so convulsing me with        
laughter that ,i wanted to roll on the  
floor1 but it didn't make me frivolous a
 bit4 ,i never knew that wit was  such a
 deep and serious thing before4    ,the 

old orator had to stop 8to blow0 awhile1
 and it was a strictly  original noise  
he made1 as he refilled his exhausted   
lungs with a  fresh supply of oxygen4   
,the rush of air fairly shook the glass 
in the  windows and could have been     
heard perhaps for a square off4 ,all at 
once  his face began to brighten with a 
smile1 which almost amounted to an      
illumination4 ,he said it 8kinder 'mused
 him ter ubsurv ,gord's keen way  uv    
wurryin' ,pharo' inter lettin' ,his     
people go40    ,i am a failure on       
dialect1 but this part of the           
afternoon's  entertainment came with    
such surprise that it was photographed  
on my  memory in a way it can never be  
blotted out4 ,jasper took up the several
  plagues which he asserted that ,god   
sent upon the ,egyptian monarch1        
declaring that as ,pharo' was too much  
of a brute to hear reason1 or to  feel  
afraid1 the ,lord decided to tease and  
torment him with reptiles  and insects1 
and then he added3 8,i tell yer1 my     

brudderin1 dis skeme  did de buzniss fer
 ,pharo'4 ,he kum frum ridin' one day   
an' wen he git in  de pallis de hole    
hall is full uv frogs4 ,dey iz          
scamperrin' and hoppin'  roun' tel dey  
farly kivur de groun' an' ,pharo' put   
his big foot an'  squash'd 'em on de    
marbul flo'4 ,he run inter his parler   
tryin' ter git  away frum 'em4 ,dey wuz 
all erroun'2 on de fine chars1 on de    
lounges1  in de pianner4 ,it shocked de 
king til' he git sick4 ,jes' den de     
dinner  bell ring1 an' in he go ter git 
his dinner4 ,ha1 ha1 ha6 ,it's frogs1   
frogs1 frogs all erroun'6 ,wen he sot   
down he felt de frogs squirmin'  in de  
char2 de frogs on de plates1 squattin'  
up on de meat1 playin'  ovur de bred1   
an' wen he pick up his glas ter drink de
 watur de little  frogs iz swimmin' in  
de tum'ler4 ,wen he tried ter stick up a
 pickul  his fork stuck in a frog2 he   
felt him runnin' down his back4 ,de     
queen  she cried1 and mos' faintid an'  
tol' ,pharo' dat she wud quit de pallis 

befo' sundown ef he didn't do somthin'  
ter cler dem frogs out'n de  house4 ,she
 say she know wat iz de mattur2 twuz de 
,gord uv dem low-down  ,hebrews1 an' she
 wantid him ter git 'em out uv de       
country4 ,pharo' say  he wud1 but he wuz
 an awful liar2 jes' es dey tel me dat  
mos' uv de  pollitishuns iz40    ,just  
then my vagrant eye caught the string of
 legislators who had high  seats in the 
synagogue and it looked to me as if     
every ,senegambian in  that seething    
herd was sampling those rustic statesmen
 while they took  on an awfully silly   
look2 or rather ,i think it was on most 
of them  before4 8,i can't pikshur up   
all dem plagues1 but ,i mus' giv you    
more  'sperunce uv dem brutish people in
 de pallis dat wuz so cruel ter de      
,hebrew folk4 ,one mornin' de king wake 
up an' he wuz ackin' from bed  ter foot4
 ,he farly scratch'd his skin off his   
body1 an' out he jumps1  an' as ,i liv' 
he finds hisse'f farly civured ovur wid 
vermin4 ',bout  dat time de queen1 she  

springs up1 an' sich scratchin' an'     
hollerrin'  ,pharo' nevur herd frum her 
befo'1 an' when he look at her dey is   
crawlin' all over her an' she1 fergitten
 her queenship1 iz dashin'  erroun' de  
room shakin' her rappurs an' scratchin' 
and screamin' tel  presn'tly she brek   
loose on de king agin4 ',bout dat time  
dar wuz a yell  in de nussery1 an' in   
kums de little ,pharoes an' dey runs    
scratchin'  and hollerin' an' kickin'   
ter der mudder4 ,der heds wuz full wid  
'em2  dere hands wuz all bit an'        
swell'd1 an' wen der mudder jerk'd off  
der  nite gowns jes' thousans uv 'em iz 
runnin' over 'em frum hed ter foot4     
,pharo' wuz rich1 but riches don't kill 
fleas4 ,pharo' had big armis1  but      
soljeers can't conquer an army of lice4 
,pharo' had servunts by  de thousans1   
but all uv 'em put togedder cudn't      
pertek' dem little  ,pharoes an'        
princesses frum dat plague dat an angry 
,gord sent ter  skurge ,pharo' an' mek  
'im willin' ter let ,his chil'n go40    

,this is a sample4 ,jasper's imagination
 was like a prairie on fire4 ,the       
excitement in the congregation was of a 
new order2 he was tickling  them in a   
new spot1 or rather in forty spots at   
once1 and the noise  in the house was   
almost like the roar of a tempest4 ,i   
never was in  such a conglomerate mood4 
,his picture of the plagues convulsed me
 with  laughter1--would have killed me  
dead1 ,i verily believe1 but for the    
counteracting effect of the horror      
excited in me4 ,and more than that1  the
 trials of the ,hebrew slaves loomed up 
before me all the time4 ,i  was         
subconsciously pitying them1 and anxious
 to get my fingers on the  damnable     
throat of the tyrant4 ,i never knew what
 it was1 until that  day1 to have all   
sorts of feelings at the same time4 ,it 
seemed to me  that the strain would have
 to be ended without going further4     
,but ,jasper wasn't done1 and things    
were coming on which it was  impossible 
to foresee4 ,suddenly ,i found ,jasper  

on a new trail4 ,this  time it was what 
he called the assassination of ,isaac4  
,i discovered  that ,jasper could talk  
quite grammatically when he was on his  
dignity2  but1 when he struck the       
abandon and lawlessness of his          
imagination1 he  dropped back into his  
dialect and then he was at his greatest4
 ,i found  also that he delighted in    
ponderous and sesquipedalian words4 ,he 
rolled  them under his tongue1--save    
when the words themselves sometimes     
rolled  his tongue up1--and when he hit 
assassination1 the pronunciation would  
have made a thoughtful mule smile4 ,but 
the word was simply a bit of  dynamite  
to blow up his crowd and to kindle new  
flames in his fancy4    ,jasper's       
picture of ,abraham had the flavour of a
 poem4 ,he stood him up  on a lofty     
pedestal1 painted him as a man without a
 vice2--the pink of  a gentleman1 the   
prince of his tribe1 the companion of   
the ,lord ,god1  the faithful father and
 the ,father of the ,faithful4 ,since   

that day1  whenever ,i get tired or feel
 that ,i have done something mean1 and  
want  to give my moral nature a set up1 
,i recall ,jasper's poem on ,abraham4   
,the incident upon which he fastened was
 the tragical story of the  sacrifice of
 ,isaac4 ,he told how the ,lord waked   
,abraham up at night and  tickled the   
old gentleman with the thought that     
there were some new  honours coming on  
for ,isaac1 and then in a flash1        
commanded him to take  the boy and go on
 a three days' run to a mountain and    
kill and burn him  up4 ,the way he      
portrayed the mental and emotional      
conflicts of ,abraham  during those days
 was like a steel pointed plow in the   
soil of the  soul4 ,then when they got  
in sight of the mountain and ,abraham   
halted  the cavalcade1 and he and the   
boy1 parting from the rest1 set out to  
climb the mountain alone ,i got mad and 
felt like ripping the whole  schedule   
into fragments4 ,there was a deadly hush
 on the crowd4 ,the air  was tense1 and 

all who were capable of it turned pale4 
,just then ,jasper  gave a slight jerk  
to the turn of things and came to my    
relief4    8,why yer reckin ,gord try   
dis thing on ,abraham80 ,jasper asked in
 a  singularly cool manner4 8,i tell yer
 why4 ,gord not only wants ter know     
,his people iz all rite1 but ,he wants  
de wurl' ter know dat dey iz all  rite1 
an' more dan dat1 ,he wants ,his people 
ter hev de comfut dat dey  is all rite  
too4 ,over in de ,hebrews1 most near de 
en' uv de ,bibul1 we  iz inform'd dat by
 faith ,aberham1 wen he wuz tried1      
offur'd up ,isuk4  ,god know'd dat      
,aberham lov' ,isuk better dan anything 
on de earth1 an'  dat he got mity big   
hopes 'bout his son's futur4 ,so de     
,lord broke on  'im onexpectid an'      
order'd 'im ter git out ter ,mount      
,morier an' put  his son ter death4 ,it 
look mity hard an' strange ter ,aberham1
 but he  wuk'd it out4 ,he say ef ,gord 
es gwine ter carry out de plan 'bout    
,isuk  raisin' a gret nashun an' he kill

 ,isuk1 den de ,lord hay ter rais' 'im  
up agin1 an' so he say ,i'll do wat de  
,lord tel me an' ax no questions4       
8,by de way1 yonder dey iz1 on de top uv
 de mountin4 ,aberham put up thar  a big
 altur an' he done tuk dat wood dat     
,isuk kerried an' put it under  de altur
 to start de fire4 ,he also got de knife
 laid out dar shinin'  in de sun1 sharp 
es a razer4 ,he call ,isuk an' ,isuk    
walk up pert an'  willin' an' mity      
intristid in wat's gwine on1 an'        
wonderrin' whar his  father gwine to git
 an offrin'1 whar de lam' fer de        
slaughter wuz4 ,den  ,aberham ondress   
,aisuk an' tie his feet an' han's an'   
lay 'im up on dat  altur4 ,solem time1  
,i tell yer4 ,den he turn roun' an' pick
 up dat blade  an' he turn roun' ter de 
altur an' up he lif' his gret arm high  
over  his hed wid de knife in his han'4 
,it stay up dar a sekkun'1 an' den wid  
a suddin flash down it starts4    8,oh1 
my ,gord6 ,aberham's han' 's            
parrerlized2 fer de earth farly shuk    

wid de mity vois uv de ,lord ,gord3     
#8,aberham1 ,aberham1 hol' on6 ,lay not 
thy han' erpon de chile uv de ,promis'4 
,i jes' wan' ter try yer6' ,wat  dat out
 dar in de brush erblatin' and          
erscramblin'8 ,gord had prepar'd  de    
sacrerfice1 an' ,aberham1 undoin' de    
boy's han's an' feet1 hugs 'im  ter his 
hart and cries and shouts tell it look  
lik de pillers uv de  heavens trimbul'd 
wid de joy40    ,now this is the way ,i 
remember it1 but ,jasper was never put  
on paper4  ,if you were not there1 you  
don't understand4 ,of course1 it was    
foolish  in me1 but that great crowd was
 in such a tumult1 and ,john ,jasper    
seemed in some way so transfigured1 and1
 without knowing why1 ,i was  greatly   
tempted to let out one tremendous yell4 
,there was something in  me that needed 
to be let off1 and ,i cannot tell what  
,i really did1 and  no matter any way4  
,the strain was so pitiless that ,i     
wanted fresh air  and would probably    
have gone out1 except that it was the   

one thing that  was physically          
impossible4    ,yet another scene comes 
back to me4 ,jasper had paraded his     
,scriptures  in long array in support of
 his view1 that the sun do move1 and he 
had such a tempestuous sense of victory 
that he turned loose all  of his legions
 upon his scientific antagonists4 ,he   
called them his  8,ferloserfers0 and    
talked hotly about the books which they 
were all the  time sending him4 ,he said
 that he would like to 8huddle all dese 
books  in a pile an' cornsine 'em ter de
 flames4 ,dat's wat ought ter be done4  
,dey ar weppuns wid wich ,satun wud     
'stroy de ,word uv ,gord40    ,the      
approval of this radical proceeding was 
accentuated with groans1  and shouts1   
and scornful laughter1 which surged     
through the house  like a maddened      
river4 ,as a fact1 ,i am not much ahead 
of ,jasper in  scientific knowledge1 but
 ,i am not one of those flabby sort who 
jumped  up to say that ,jasper was      
simply voicing what they had believed   

all the  time4 ,through it all1 ,i kept 
on believing in the rotation of the     
earth1  just as ,i had before1 and ,i   
really thought before ,i got there that 
,i  would get enough fun out of the     
occasion to supply me for scores of     
,sundays4 ,the curious result of it all 
was that ,jasper didn't convert  me to  
his theory1 nor did he convert me to his
 religion1 but he did  convert me to    
himself4 ,i found myself turning to him 
with a respect and  kindliness of       
feeling that greatly surprised me4 ,i   
felt his greatness4  ,i believed in his 
sincerity1 and to me he was a           
philosopher1 sound in  his logic1 mighty
 in his convictions1 though he might be 
wrong in his  premises4    ,now in plain
 contradiction of what ,i have said ,i  
must make an  admission4 ,in the triumph
 of his ending ,jasper polled his crowd 
to see  how his theory was prospering4  
,he bade everybody who really endorsed  
his theory that the sun moved to show   
the hand4 ,i stretched up my arm  about 

four feet1 and would have punched the   
ceiling with my fingers if  it could    
have been done4 ,yes1 ,i voted that the 
earth was flat and had  four corners1   
and that the sun drove his steeds from  
the gates of the  morning over to the   
barns in the ,west1 and ,i never asked  
the question  for a moment as to how the
 team was got back during the night4    
,call me  a hypocrite1 if it will       
comfort you to do it2 that's a very     
gentle way  to speak to a reporter1 but 
,i was dead sincere4 ,my vote was in    
favour  of ,jasper's logic1 his         
genuineness1 his originality1 his       
philosophic  honesty1 and his religion4 
,if it was hypocrisy to hold up the hand
 on  that occasion1 then there was a    
mammoth pile of hypocrites2 for it      
seemed to me that there were forty      
hundred of the ,brirareus family        
present and that the last one of them   
tried to hold up each one of his  hands 
higher than all of his other hands and  
higher than anybody else's  hands4    ,i

 got full wages for my vote4 ,to look at
 old ,jasper with his parted  lips1 his 
smile1 which belied every sign of his   
oratorical ferocity and  vengefulness1  
and his unspeakable aspect of conquest  
and glory as the  people wrung his hand 
and poured their happy benedictions upon
 him4    ,after the sermon the old      
brother1 with the snow-capped head and  
the  shaking voice1 struck up one of the
 prayer-meeting choral songs4 ,he  spun 
it out rather thin1 but reinforcements  
came in1 and by the time  they struck   
the chorus the tramp of the feet all in 
unison seemed to  me strong enough to   
crash down the bridge over ,niagara1 and
 as for the  singing1 its appeal was to 
the imagination1--at least to mine1--and
 ,i  actually fancied that ,i could hear
 the invisible choirs in which armies   
of angels and nations of the ransomed   
were joining with full voice4    ,i had 
,jasper for breakfast1 dinner1 and      
supper that week4 ,down at  the office  
they called me 8,jasper10 and up at the 

boarding-house the  landlady's boy1 who 
stayed in bed next day from his bruises1
 was  constantly singing1 and making me 
help him1 the choral song with which    
the meeting broke up and the old ,yankee
 preacher and the inevitable  boy had me
 telling all the time of the            
multitudinous things that  happened at  
,jasper's church4    ,months and months 
have since gone4 ,the ,jasperian uproar 
has ebbed1 and  ,i am still the bad     
reporter1 and latterly have changed my  
desk and work  on ,sunday1 but often and
 often ,i dream about ,jasper1 and every
 time ,i  dream ,i fancy that ,i have   
joined his church and that he and ,i    
shouted  when he baptized me4 ,no1 ,i   
have never been back4 ,i do not wish to 
build  on to my experience1 and ,i do   
not want it marred by finding ,jasper   
less  commanding and kinglike than he   
was on that spring time ,sabbath that   
afternoon of '#gh4          ,,xv        
,,jasper',s ,,picture ,,of ,,heaven     
,i never heard ,jasper preach a sermon  

on heaven1 nor did ,i ever hear  of his 
doing so4 ,so far as my observation     
goes1 sermons on heaven  have failed to 
edify the thoughtful--sometimes proving 
distinctly  disappointing4 ,it was not  
to ,jasper's taste to argue on heaven as
 a  doctrine4 ,with him it was as if he 
were camping outside of a beautiful     
city1 knowing much of its history and   
inhabitants1 and in joyous  expectation 
of soon moving into it4 ,the immediate  
things of the kingdom  chiefly occupied 
his attention2 but when his sermons took
 him into the  neighbourhood of heaven1 
he took fire at once and the glory of   
the  celestial city lit his face and    
cheered his soul4 ,this chapter deals   
only with one of his sermons which1     
while not on heaven1 reveals his        
heart-belief in it1 and its vital effect
 upon his character4    ,imagine a      
,sunday afternoon at his church--a fair1
 inspiring day4  ,his house was thronged
 to overflowing4 ,it was the funeral of 
two  persons--,william ,ellyson and     

,mary ,barnes4 ,the text is forgotten1  
but the sermon is vividly recalled4     
,from the start ,jasper showed a  burden
 and a boldness that promised rich      
things for his people4 ,at the          
beginning he betrayed some              
hesitation--unusual for him4 8,lemme    
say10 he  said1 8a word about dis       
,william ,ellersin4 ,i say it de fust   
an' git it  orf mer min'4 ,william      
,ellersin was no good man--he didn't say
 he wus2  he didn't try to be good1 an' 
de tell me he die as he live1 'out ,gord
  an' 'out hope in de worl'4 ,it's a bad
 tale to tell on 'im1 but he fix  de    
story hissef4 ,as de tree falls dar mus 
it lay4 ,ef you wants folks  who live   
wrong to be preached and sung to glory1 
don' bring 'em to  ,jasper4 ,gord comfut
 de monur and warn de onruly4    8,but1 
my bruthrin10 he brightened as he spoke1
 8,mary ,barnes wus  difrunt4 ,she wer  
wash'd in de blood of de ,lam' and      
walk'd in white2 her  r'ligion was of   
,gord4 ,yer could trust ,mary anywhar2  

nuv'r cotch 'er in  dem playhouses ner  
friskin' in dem dances2 she wan' no     
street-walk'r  trapsin' roun' at night4 
,she love de house of de ,lord2 her feet
  clung to de straight and narrer path2 
,i know'd her4 ,i seen her at de        
prarmeetin'--seed her at de supper--seed
 her at de preachin'1 an' seed  her     
tendin' de sick an' helpin' de mounin'  
sinn'rs4 ,our ,sister ,mary1  good-bye4 
,yer race is run1 but yer crown is      
shure40    ,from this ,jasper shot quite
 apart4 ,he was full of fire1 humour    
gleamed  in his eye1 and freedom was the
 bread of his soul4 ,by degrees he      
approached the realm of death1 and he   
went as an invader4 ,a note of  defiant 
challenge rang in his voice and almost  
blazed on his lips4  ,he escorted the   
,christian to the court of death1 and   
demanded of the  monster king to exhibit
 his power to hurt4 ,it was wonderful to
 see how  he pictured the high courage  
of the child of ,god1 marching up to the
  very face of the king of terrors and  

demanding that he come forth and  do his
 worst4 ,death1 on the other hand1 was  
subdued1 slow of speech1  admitted his  
defeat1 and proclaimed his readiness to 
serve the children  of ,immanuel4 ,then 
he affected to put his mouth to the     
grave and cried  aloud3 8,grave6 ,grave6
 ,er ,grave60 he cried as if addressing 
a real  person1 8,whar's yer vict'ry8 ,i
 hur you got a mighty banner down dar1  
an' you turrurizes ev'rybody wat comes  
long dis way4 ,bring out your  armies   
an' furl fo'th your bann'rs of vict'ry4 
,show your han' an' let  'em see wat you
 kin do40 ,then he made the grave reply3
 8,ain't got no  vict'ry now2 had       
vict'ry1 but ,king ,jesus pars'd through
 dis country  an' tord my banners down4 
,he says ,his peopl' shan't be troubled 
no mo'  forev'r2 an' ,he tell me ter    
op'n de gates an' let 'um pass on dar   
way  to glory40    8,oh1 my ,gord10     
,jasper exclaimed in thrilling voice1   
8did yer hur dat8  ,my ,master ,jesus   
done jerk'd de sting of death1 done     

broke de scept'r of  de king of tur'rs1 
an' ,he dun gone inter de grave an' rob 
it uv its  victorous banners1 an' fix'd 
nice an' smooth for ,his people ter pass
  through4 ,mo' en dat1 ,he has writ a  
song1 a shoutin' anthim for us to  sing 
when we go thur1 passin' suns an' stars1
 an' singin' dat song1  #8,thanks be    
onter ,gord--be onter ,gord who give us 
de vict'ry thru de  ,lord ,jesus        
,christ4'0 ,too well ,i know that ,i do 
scant justice to the  greatness of      
,jasper by this outline of his          
transcendent eloquence4 ,the  whole     
scene1 distinct in every detail1 was    
before the audience1 and his  responsive
 hearers were stirred into              
uncontrollable excitement4    8,my      
bruthrin10 ,jasper resumed very soberly1
 8,i oft'n ax myself how ,i'd  behave   
merself ef ,i was ter git to heav'n4 ,i 
tell you ,i would tremble  fo' de       
consequinces4 ,eben now when ,i gits er 
glimpse--jist a peep into  de palis of  
de ,king1 it farly runs me ravin'       

'stracted4 ,what will ,i do  ef ,i gits 
thar8 ,i 'spec ,i'll make er fool of    
myself1 'cause ,i ain't  got de pritty  
ways an' nice manners my ole ,mars' ,sam
 ,hargrove used to  have1 but ef ,i git 
thar they ain't goin' to put me out4    
,mars' ,sam'll  speak fur me an' tell   
'em to teach me how to do4 ,i sometimes 
thinks if  ,i's 'lowed to go free--,i   
'specs to be free dar1 ,i tell you1     
b'leve ,i'll  jest do de town--walkin'  
an' runnin' all roun' to see de home    
which  ,jesus dun built for ,his people4
    8,fust of all1 ,i'd go down an' see 
de river of life4 ,i lov's to go down   
to de ole muddy ,jemes--mighty red an'  
muddy1 but it goes 'long so  gran' an'  
quiet like 'twas 'tendin' to            
business--but dat ain't nothin'  to the 
river which flows by de throne4 ,i longs
 fer its chrystal waves1  an' de trees  
on de banks1 an' de all mann'rs of      
fruits4 ,dis old head of  mine oft'n    
gits hot with fever1 aches all night an'
 rolls on de piller1  an' ,i has many   

times desired to cool it in that blessed
 stream as it  kisses de banks of dat   
upper ,canaan4 ,bl'ssed be de ,lord6 ,de
 thought of  seein' dat river1 drinkin' 
its water an' restin' un'r dose         
trees----0  ,then suddenly ,jasper began
 to intone a chorus in a most affecting 
way1  no part of which ,i can recall    
except the last line3 8,oh1 what mus' it
  be to be thar80 8,aft'r dat10 ,jasper 
continued with quickened note1  8,i'd   
turn out an' view de beauties of de     
city--de home of my ,father4  ,i'd      
stroll up dem abenuse whar de children  
of ,gord dwell an' view dar  mansions4  
,father ,abraham1 ,i'm sure he got a    
grate pallis1 an' ,moses1  what 'scorted
 de children of ,israel out of bondige  
thru' de wilderness  an' to de aidge of 
de promised lan'1 he must be pow'rful   
set up being  sich er man as he is2 an' 
,david1 de king dat made pritty songs1  
,i'd  like to see 'is home1 an' ,paul1  
de mighty scholar who got struck down   
out in de ',mascus road1 ,i want to see 

his mansion1 an' all of 'em4 ,den  ,i   
would cut roun' to de back streets an'  
look for de little home whar  my        
,saviour set my mother up to            
housekeepin' when she got thar4 ,i 'spec
  to know de house by de roses in de    
yard an' de vine on de poch40 ,as       
,jasper was moving at feeling pace along
 the path of his thoughts1 he  stopped  
and cried3 8,look dar2 mighty sweet     
house1 ain't it lovely80  ,suddenly he  
sprang back and began to shout with     
joyous clapping of  hands4 8,look dar2  
see dat on de do2 hallelujah1 it's ,john
 ,jasper4  ,said ,he was gwine to prepar
 a place for me2 dar it is4 ,too good   
for a  po' sinner like me1 but ,he built
 it for me1 a turn-key job1 an' mine    
forev'r40 ,instantly he was singing his 
mellow chorus ending as before  with3   
8,oh1 what mus' it be to be thar60      
,from that scene he moved off to see the
 angelic host4 ,there were the  white   
plains of the heavenly ,canaan--a vast  
army of angels with their  bands of     

music1 their different ranks and grades1
 their worship before  the throne and   
their pealing shouts as they broke      
around the throne of  ,god4 ,the charm  
of the scene was irresistible2 it lifted
 everybody to a  sight of heaven1 and it
 was all real to ,jasper4 ,he seemed    
entranced4  ,as the picture began to    
fade up rose his inimitable chorus1     
closing as  always3 8,oh1 what mus' it  
be to be thar60    ,then there was a    
long wait4 ,but for the subdued and     
unworldly air of  the old preacher--full
 seventy years old then--the delay would
 have  dissolved the spell4 8,an' now1  
frenz10 he said1 still panting and      
seeking to be calm1 8ef yer'll 'scuse   
me1 ,i'll take er trip to de  throne an'
 see de ,king in 'is roy'l garmints40   
,it was an event to  study him at this  
point4 ,his earnestness and reverence   
passed all  speech1 and grew as he went4
 ,the light from the throne dazzled him 
from afar4 ,there was the great white   
throne--there1 the elders bowing  in    

adoring wonder--there1 the archangels   
waiting in silence for the  commands of 
the ,king--there the ,king in ,his      
resplendent glory--there  in hosts      
innumerable were the ransomed4 ,in point
 of vivid description  it surpassed all 
,i had heard or read4 ,by this time the 
old negro  orator seemed glorified4     
,earth could hardly hold him4 ,he sprang
 about  the platform with a boy's       
alertness2 he was unconsciously waving  
his  handkerchief as if greeting a      
conqueror2 his face was streaming with  
tears2 he was bowing before the         
,redeemer2 he was clapping his hands1   
laughing1 shouting and wiping the       
blinding tears out of his eyes4 ,it  was
 a moment of transport and unmatched    
wonder to every one1 and ,i felt  as if 
it could never cease1 when suddenly in a
 new note he broke into  his chorus1    
ending with the soul-melting words3     
8,oh1 what mus' it be to  be thar60     
,it was a climax of climaxes4 ,i        
supposed nothing else could follow4 ,we 

had been up so often and so high we     
could not be carried up again4  ,but    
there stood ,jasper1 fully seeing the   
situation4 ,he had seen it  in advance  
and was ready4 8,my bruthrin10 said he  
as if in apology1 8,i  dun fergot       
somethin'4 ,i got ter tek anuth'r trip4 
,i ain't visit'd de  ransum of de ,lord4
 ,i can't slight dem4 ,i knows heap ov  
'em1 an' ,i'm  boun' to see 'em40 ,in a 
moment he had us out on the celestial   
plains  with the saints in line4 ,there 
they were--countless and glorious6 ,we  
walked the whole line and had a sort of 
universal handshake in which no  note of
 time was taken4 8,here's ,brer ,abul1  
de fust man whar got here2  here's ,brer
 ,enoch whar took er stroll and         
straggled inter glory2 here's  ole      
,ligie1 whar had er carriage sent fur   
'im an' comed a nigher way  to de city40
 ,thus he went on greeting patriarchs1  
prophets1 apostles1  martyrs1 his       
brethren and loved ones gone before     
until suddenly he  sprang back and      

raised a shout that fairly shook the    
roof4 8,here she  is2 ,i know'd sh'd git
 here2 why1 ,mary ,barnes1 you got home1
 did yer80  ,a great handshake he gave  
her and for a moment it looked as if the
  newly-glorified ,mary ,barnes was the 
centre of ,jasper's thoughts2 but1  as  
if by magic1 things again changed and he
 was singing at the top of  his voice   
the chorus which died away amid the     
shrieks and shouts of his  crowd with   
his plaintive note3 8,oh1 what mus' it  
be to be thar60    ,jasper dropped      
exhausted into a chair and some chief   
singer of the  old-time sort1 in noble  
scorn of all choirs1 struck that        
wondrous  old song1 8,when ,death ,shall
 ,shake ,my ,frame10 and in a moment the
  great building throbbed and trembled  
with the mighty old melody4  ,it was    
sung only as ,jasper's race can sing1   
and especially as only  ,jasper's       
emotional and impassioned church could  
sing it4 ,this was  ,jasper's greatest  
sermon4 ,in length it was not short of  

an hour and a  half--maybe it was longer
 than that4 ,he lifted things far above 
all  thought of time1 and not one sign  
of impatience was seen4 ,the above      
sketch is all unworthy of the man or the
 sermon4 ,as for the venerable  old     
orator himself he was in his loftiest   
mood--free in soul1 alert  as a boy1 his
 imagination rioting1 his action far    
outwent his words1  and his pictures of 
celestial scenes glowed with unworldly  
lustre4 ,he  was in heaven that day1 and
 took us around in his excursion wagon1 
and  turning on the lights showed us the
 ,city of the ,glorified4    ,what is   
reported here very dimly hints at what  
he made us see4 ,not a  few of          
,richmond's most thoughtful people1     
though some of them laid no  claim to   
piety1 were present and not one of them 
escaped the profound  spiritual         
eloquence of this simple-hearted old    
soldier of the cross4    ,valiant1      
heroic old man6 ,he stood in his place  
and was not afraid4 ,he  gave his       

message in no uncertain words--scourged 
error wherever it  exposed its front    
stood sentinel over the word of ,god and
 was never  caught sleeping at his post4
    ,when his work ended1 he was ready  
to go up and see his ,master face to    
face4    ,the stern old orator1 brave as
 a lion1 rich in humour1 grim1 and a    
dreamer whose dreams were full of       
heaven1 has uttered his last message    
and gone within the veil to see the     
wonders of the unseen4 ,if the  grapes  
of ,eschol were so luscious to him here1
 8,oh1 what must it be for  him to be   
there40      ,printed in the ,united    
,states of ,america