t. To me it seems ez though my venerable
locks, wich hangs scantily about my temples, hed grown black agin, and
that my youth was returnin. Ef I hed any notion uv sooiside, them idea
is dismist. I'm young agin. Wat hez worked this change? you ask. It's
the proclamation declarin the war at an end, and withdrawin from the
Dimocratic States the odious hirelins uv the tyrant Linkin, and the doin
away uv that terrible marshal law. That's wat's done it for me. Now I
feel like sayin, with one uv old, "Mine eyes hev seed thy glory; let thy
servant depart in peace."

We hev bin dooly subjoogated some time, and a waitin for this. We wantid
it, and longed for it ez the hart does for the water course, and
considerably more, onless the hart wuz thirsty in the extreme. For now
we are in the Yoonyun agin; we are under the shadder uv that glorious
old flag wich protects all men ceptin niggers and ablishnists. The
nigger is left to be adjustid by us, who is to be governed by the laws
wich control labor and capital. Certenly he is--uv coarse. I saw two uv
my neighbors adjustin one last nite. They wuz doin it with a paddle,
wich wuz bored full uv holes. He didn't seem to enjoy it ez much ez they
did. By that proclamation our states are agin under their own control.
Let em go at wunst to work to destroy all the vestiges uv the crooel war
through wich they hev past. There aint no solgers now to interfere, for
the policy uv keepin soldiers in and among free people is abhorrent to
freedom and humanity. Go to work at wunst, and build up the broken walls
uv your Zion.

We must hev Peace and unanimity; and Peace cannot dwell among us onless
there's a oneness uv purpose and sentiment. To prokoor this is yoor fust
dooty. If there be among you them ez opposed yoo doorin yoor late
struggle for Rites, hist em. Their presence is irritatin, and kin not be
tolerated. Ablishunism is as abhorrent now as ever, and the sooner yoo
are rid uv it the better. It is safe to assume that every man who
opposed the lately deceased confederacy is a Ablishnist.

The next step, and the most important, is to tear down the nigger school
houses and churches wich hev bin built here and there, and kindly take
the nigger by the ear, and lead him back to his old quarters, wich is
his normal position. The Yankee school teachers sent here by Freedmen's
Aid Societies shood properly be hung for spreadin dissatisfaction and
spellin books among the niggers, but I wood advise merc