York, Pa., Nov. 27th, 1848.

Dear Douglass:—My present purpose in writing to you, is to say, that the people in this part of the vineyard have been invigorated by a discourse, long, eloquent and argumentative, by your manly and distinguished co-laborer, M. R. Delany.

His subject was the present condition of the colored people, and he did ample justice to it, occupying the major part of three evenings in delivering it. Was it good?—Is he interesting? are the first questions the curious will put; which I will answer in this wise—Have you heard him? If not, take the first opportunity to do so; and last, to persons who know anything about our people here, know they are not very attentive to meetings of any kind, and to inform them that the two last evenings his audience was greatly increased, they will at once conclude he was interesting.

The Dr. speaks well, clear, distinct, and to the point. He commenced his address by saying that it was not his intention to speak of the cursed institution of slavery, with its crimes, woes and miseries; but he intended to stick to the text, and confine himself to such considerations as will make man proud of himself. He then went on to prove the importance of man, which was done in a manner creditable as alike convincing. He then passed to a review of the present condition of our people, in which he dealt out some home-thrusts at our religious aspirations, not with disparagement at our truly pious notions, but of the sacrifice we make of our temporal duties, and the irrational extent to which we carry our religious ones. He contended, and wisely too, that our temporal duties were as essential to our elevation, as our religious ones were to our future happiness; and my only hope is, that those positions may never be lost sight of, by all who have heard him at least. This idea of trusting in God for everything, found an excellent illustration in the anecdote of those two old gentlemen. These positions took up all of the first evening.

Yesterday evening, I was so unfortunate as to miss hearing all of his discourse, but was informed it was not inferior to the one of the previous evening. He then showed the difference between Christianity and religion. Ah! this was the trying time, and most of his audience were looking for a rash attack upon religion, commonly applied; but when they were informed by him that Christianity was likeness unto Christ, and religion only to adhere to a confession of faith, there was an evident recoil; quite a new field of thought was here suddenly opened to their view; some struggling to resist the conclusion, found their only consolation in the couplet of Hosea Bigelow:

"'Taint a knowin' kind o' cattle

You kin catch with mouldy corn."

He shot a well-directed shaft or two at what are commonly called "pot-wrestlers," &c., which failed not to have effect, I assure you. By the way, was it not upon this subject that the Dr. sadly insulted some dignified gentry of our Quaker City, and barely escaped their vengeance?

Wednesday evening, as before, I was belated, and just got there as he was speaking of the investment colored people should make in this country, the profitable advantages it would render our elevation, the esteem we would necessarily command at the hands of our oppressors, the ease with which any young lady could, with a little economy, purchase a small quantity of public land, at government prices, and thereby secure an investment, showing, too, the possibility of a sale of the same land at double the price paid, thus securing another desideratum.

He also spoke of the necessity of our people securing for their children a good education—not that they should seek after a college course, but a good practical business education; while such a course (collegiate) would not be objected to, provided it were attainable, and not bent on extremes, as "much learning makes men mad."

Yours for truth,

M. C.Cupit, Merriman