“The brotherhood of man?” suggested the lady.
‚ÄúHardly advisable,‚Äù returned Dr. ¬ÝBoldish, seriously, ‚Äúin our friend‚Äôs presence,‚Äù‚ÅÝ‚Äîwith a glance toward Cresswell. Then he arose.
‚ÄúMy friends,‚Äù he said, touching his fingertips and using blank verse in A minor. ‚ÄúThis is an auspicious day. You should be thankful for the gifts of the Lord. His bounty surrounds you‚ÅÝ‚Äîthe trees, the fields, the glorious sun. He gives cotton to clothe you, corn to eat, devoted friends to teach you. Be joyful. Be good. Above all, be thrifty and save your money, and do not complain and whine at your apparent disadvantages. Remember that God did not create men equal but unequal, and set metes and bounds. It is not for us to question the wisdom of the Almighty, but to bow humbly to His will.
‚ÄúRemember that the slavery of your people was not necessarily a crime. It was a school of work and love. It gave you noble friends, like Mr. ¬ÝCresswell here.‚Äù A restless stirring, and the battery of eyes was turned upon that imperturbable gentleman, as if he were some strange animal. ‚ÄúLove and serve them. Remember that we get, after all, little education from books; rather in the fields, at the plough and in the kitchen. Let your ambition be to serve rather than rule, to be humble followers of the lowly Jesus.‚Äù
With an upward glance the Rev. ¬Ý Dr. ¬ÝBoldish sat down amid a silence a shade more intense than that which had greeted him. Then slowly from the far corner rose a thin voice, tremulously. It wavered on the air and almost broke, then swelled in sweet, low music. Other and stronger voices gathered themselves to it, until two hundred were singing a soft minor wail that gripped the hearts and tingled in the ears of the hearers. Mr. ¬ÝBocombe groped with a puzzled expression to find the pocket for his notebook; Harry Cresswell dropped his eyes, and on Mrs.