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| Gift of freedom makes for memorable Christmas |
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| Opinion - Columns | |
| Written by Grady Atwater | |
| Wednesday, 24 December 2008 08:00 | |
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Just before Christmas in 1858, the Rev. Samuel Adair and his wife, Florella, and their family were preparing for their Christmas celebration when they heard wagons crunch though the snow in front of their cabin. The Adair family stopped what they were doing when a knock on the door was accompanied by a man’s voice announcing John Brown sent them some cargo to store. Adair looked at Florella with alarm, for John Brown had raided into Vernon County and freed 11 slaves, and they were hotly pursued by slave-hunters. Federal law still protected slavery, and if Adair hid the slaves, he was risking heavy fines and prison in addition to violence from proslavery raiders. Adair told his wife he would do as she wished. Florella knew the risks, which impacted her and her family, as she would lose her husband and his support in a time when women were completely dependent on their husbands for an income. Adair and Florella stood looking at each other as both of them weighed the cost of their actions. Florella broke the silence and quietly said, “I cannot turn them away.” He opened the door to their cabin and the 11 shivering slaves entered the Adair cabin to the warmth of freedom. Florella busied herself with preparing a meal for the former slaves, which was a major sacrifice because the Adair’s lived on a pastor’s salary, which was meager in 1858, as pastor’s salaries are today. Florella gathered up the ingredients for the sweetest meal that the slaves had ever eaten, a meal they enjoyed in freedom. Adair and his family ate with them, for the Adair’s regarded them as equals in God’s eyes, and therefore free and equal men and women. The slaves slept in peace in the back room of the Adair cabin, with the Adairs ensuring they were warm and comfortable, and Samuel offered them spiritual solace. After spending a few days at the cabin, John Brown then took the slaves north to Canada, where in January 1859, they were free to live out their lives without fear of being captured and returned to slavery. Adair and his wife risked everything to give 11 slaves the gift of freedom during the Christmas of 1858. The source of their compassion was their deep Christian faith, which gave them the strength to stand up for their beliefs in the face of great danger and persecution. When we look for the Christmas spirit, we can look to the past and find an example in the actions of Adair and his wife, who gave 11 escaping slaves shelter during the Christmas of 1858.
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