[Letter: date unknown]

[Letter: date unknown]

[unknown]

Christianity

Death -- Social aspects

Burial

image/jp2

Correspondence

This material is made available for private study, scholarship, and research use. For access to the original letter or high-resolution reproduction, please contact the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection (blockson@temple.edu; 215-204-6632).

Temple University Libraries, Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection

William Still Collection

Blockson manuscripts

William Still Collection

Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Libraries

blockson@temple.edu

BMS010X0023

6/ If Christianity is a fallacy/ it must be a divine one;/ for nothing less, could quiet/ the troubles of life- and/ pour such a calm/ over our tempest-tossed/ souls. How I wish that/ I was a better Christian!/ I am afraid that my friends/ would not be surer about/ me. should I be strick-/ in down and kept in-/ sensible till my death./ I am glad to hear that/ you have so pleasant a/ companion as Miss H. it/ must be very agreeable to/ you. She has such prier/ ways that I judge her to/ be very desirable accession./ Please remember me to/ her._/ Well Louisiana has ["once?]/ likwise!/ Do you ever see Mrs. Chew? how/ do you think that she looks? Does/ she seem to be on the decline?/ I was much interested at/ your account of the insurrection./ How did it result? Dr. White always/ impressed me as an odd person./ I am glad that the students had the/ grit to stand up for what they be/ lieved./ at any effort to emulate/ his example./ But it was my first expe-/rience with death- at so/ short a distance off./ The night of his burial day/ was cold and rainy/ I could not help putting my-/ self to such a degree that I/ could not sleep over the/ thought of the loneliness. The/ cheerlessness of the grave/ yard. It seemed so cruel/ to leave him there. Wasn’t/ I foolish? But death/ is an awful thing. And/ oh what gloom there is/ about a grave! When I/ look upon it calmly, I/ have no such feelings./ I do not dread its power/ with the Guide who has/ promised to lead us thro'. I hope that I have/ not infected you with/ any germ. Speaking of/ infecting- remind me of/ something. Can't you send/ me a little piece of extra/ nice vaccine virus?/ I must leave you/ for the present./ Remember me to your/ mother./ With many wishes for/ your welfare-/ I am yours/ very truly,/ R.J.C/