cared little for a
flogging. It is easily conceivable that a humane missionary might feel
more pain at witnessing such a punishment than the culprit himself, but
it is a fact that cruel punishment was never mentioned by the slaves as
an excuse for a revolt.

The missionaries were shocked at the apparent nakedness and destitution
of the negroes, as a visitor to the West Indies will be even now. They
did not remember that their clothing and houses were well suited to the
climate, and that a home in the English sense of the word would not have
been appreciated by them. These things were reported to the societies at
home, the members of which knew no more about the tropics than the
merchant who once sent a consignment of warming-pans to Barbados. Those
who wanted to raise a cry of cruelty to the poor slave, circulated these
facts, and put their own construction upon them, one going so far as to
state that there were no chimneys to the houses, as if this omission
were a slave disability or oppression, although any visitor to the
colonies could have told him that these conveniences were hardly found
anywhere.

The negro willingly listened to his friend the missionary, and felt
eager to perform the rites and ceremonies of the little congregation.
The Established Church was that of England, and although in some places
there were special services for the blacks, in others "slaves and dogs"
were refused admission. This exclusiveness threw the slaves into the
hands of the Moravians, Baptists, Methodists, and the agents of the
London Missionary Society. The Church government of some of these was in
the hands of the congregation, and as this was a sort of playing at
"Massa," the slave took to them all the more readily.

No doubt these ministers were very good men, and animated by a great
love for the negroes, but this did not prevent their being misunderstood
by both master and slave. Then many of them were connected with the
anti-slavery society, and however careful they might be not to offend
local prejudices, by speaking against the obnoxious system, as
conscientious men they could not help showing their bias. The
established clergymen, on the contrary, when they preached to the
slaves, told them to "be subject to the powers that be," and to remain
content in the condition where Providence had placed them.

At first most of the planters only sneered at these attempts to convert
the slaves, but when they saw what an attractio