pictures of the degradation of their brethren, and does not your presence identify you with the oppressors, who thus wantonly hold up to public contempt those whom they have first debased, and then despised.

Permit us to offer you a few remarks on the subject of personal decoration—this is a snare which Satan still triumphantly lays, even for professing Christians who indulge in fashionable and extravagant apparel, forgetful of the apostolic injunction, "Let your adorning not be that outward adorning, of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." Our hearts have been comforted in our intercourse with you, by observing that there is little gaudy or superfluous dress to be seen, in such places of worship as we have visited; we regard it as one evidence of the purity of your morals, and your just sense of that decorum which ought to characterise every Christian assembly. A Christian legislator has said that the trappings of the vain world would clothe the naked, and we affectionately entreat you to cultivate such a sense of your accountability to God, and the allegiance you owe to Him, that your dress may be such as becomes men and women professing godliness. To you this branch of religious duty is of double importance. A large proportion of you are obliged to obtain a subsistence by your daily labor; some of you are filling the responsible office of teachers, and it is of great consequence that you expend in the most judicious and profitable manner what is thus hardly earned, and that you set an example of Christian moderation and simplicity to your companions and your pupils.

Another reason for the practice of Christian economy in all your expenditures, is, that extravagance either in living or in apparel, has a deleterious influence on the poorer classes of our community, both colored and white; it draws a line of division between the rich and the poor, which is destructive of that equality, that sweet fellowship of feeling, which God designed should exist among his creatures; it creates factitious distinctions in society, which are utterly at variance with the law of love that Christ gave as a governing principle to his disciples. When he designed to do us good, he took upon himself the form of a servant—surely we should love and honor this office. He took his station at the bottom of society, He voluntarily identified himself with the poor and the despised, He manifested a peculiar interest in those classes which we are wont to treat as our inferiors, because He designed to elevate them, to give a moral impulse to their character, and to make them new creatures. He wanted them to behold in Him a model to imitate, as well as to give them the unspeakable advantage of mingling with Him in near and intimate communion. This was no doubt a powerful incentive to them to emulate their divine friend, and render themselves worthy companions of the Lord Jesus. None of us can stoop as low as our Saviour did, because the same infinite distance cannot exist between created beings; but we may as far as our frailty admits, imitate His blessed example; we may like Him, make ourselves of no reputation; we may, like Him, sit down at the table of the despised publican and sinner, and cheer the abodes of the humble and the poor by our presence and our love. This interchange of social visits, this meeting together as suppliants at a throne of grace, will form a bond of union stronger than any that can exist, while the rich and the educated stand at a distance from the poor, and invite them to come up, without advancing near enough to stretch forth the hand to assist their efforts. Our minds are solemnly impressed with the necessity of practising this duty, both among the colored and white population, and it would gladden our hearts to see you taking the lead in this Christ-like enterprise. We are persuaded that if we would labor effectually for the moral and intellectual elevation of the poor, we must condescend to men of low estate; we must identify ourselves with them, and place ourselves on their level; we must, by our example as well as our precepts, teach them that moral worth is our standard of excellence, and that we are living in the practical acknowledgement of that sublime precept "One is your master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." Whilst we press this duty upon our colored brethren and sisters, we feel that it is equally incumbent upon all, and desire through divine assistance to be strengthened to perform it.

We wish also to suggest the importance of cultivating the virtue of personal and domestic neatness; we believe it contributes essentially to the purity of the heart, and that attention to the neatness of our persons, and the order of our habitations, has a happy influence on the temper and the understanding, as well as the morals. We are aware that it is often difficult, where necessity compels us to use one apartment for every purpose, to preserve that order and cleanliness which is desirable, but we believe where the wish prevails, much may be accomplished, even in very unfavorable circumstances. Many of you sustain the relations of servants in families; this places you in a very responsible situation, because it brings you under the daily observation of those, who have been educated with deep-rooted prejudices against you, and it affords the best opportunity of proving that these prejudices are as unfounded, as they are unjust—of exhibiting in your deportment, that moral loveliness which will constrain those who regard themselves as your superiors, to acknowledge that worth can neither be determined by the color of the skin, nor by the station occupied. You have it in your power, by a faithful and conscientious discharge of your duties, to secure the highest wages for your services, and by a prudent and economical use of those wages, to obtain for your children, if not for yourselves, the blessing of a good education, but we affectionately exhort you not to enter into any engagements as domestics, which will deprive you of the privilege of reading the Scriptures, and attending a place of worship, this being a duty which is imperatively called for as an evidence of our allegiance to the King of kings. Carefully avoid families which pay little or no respect to the Sabbath, that you may escape the contamination arising from such intercourse. We have regretted seeing so many of our colored friends engaged as servants in hotels and steam-boats; these places are not calculated to cherish moral and religious feeling, and they afford few facilities for the cultivation of the mind. Agricultural pursuits would contribute more to independence and elevation of character, and however much we may be disposed to aid you, it will be after all by your own exertions that you will rise to that situation in society, which we desire to see you occupy.

The establishment of good schools is another very important means of aiding in the great work of moral and intellectual elevation; to promote this object every exertion should be made. On the rising generation depends in a great measure the success of that enterprise, which aims at establishing Christian and Republican equality among the citizens of these United States. Let us then labor to implant in the minds of our children a love for useful learning, to imbue them thoroughly with religious feeling, to train them to habits of thinking, of industry and economy, to lead them to the contemplation of noble and benevolent objects, that they may regard themselves as responsible beings upon whom high and holy duties devolve. Let them come up to the help of the Lord in the mighty work in which we are engaged, prepared by education and