The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-07-31 00:00:00

A GOOD STORY-ABOLITION.

Some weeks since an itinerant lecturer of abolition visited
the neigbourhood of Portsmouth, Ohio, and put up at a pub-
lic house with the iuteution of enlightening the minds of the
public in regard to the oppression of his dark-coloured bre-
thren and sisters, by a lecture to be delivered next day, on
the cruelty and tyranny of the whites refusing to admit the
negro to a perfect equality with themselves in all respects.
All the visitors and lodgers in the tavern were annoyed
during the day, by the impertinent conduct of the pseudo-
philanthropist, forcing his disgusting and incendiary doctrines
on every one who bad sufficient patience or curiosity to listen
to him. The landlord, whose house was honoured with the
presence of th,, lecturer, formed the plan of experimenting
on his professions of love for " Afric's sable race." In
the evening the landlord called to him a coloured man
named Bill, who acted as ostler, or man of all work, about
the inn, and ordered him to wash himself well, put on a clean
shirt, and go to bed in a certain room which he mentioned.
Bill acted as his master directed him, and felt considerably

" stuck up" with the sudden change of his sleeping apart- '
ments, from the kitchen loft to the best room in the house,
attributed it all to the presence of his white friend, who had
taken several opportunities through the day to impress on
Bill's mind that all were equal, and that the fact of a por-
tion of society being blessed with a fairer skin, gave them no
right to claim a superiority over their less fortunate brothers
and sisters of a darker hue, and that naturally, Bill and every
other gentleman of colour, who performed the the part of
servants to the whites, had the same right to respects and
privileges as their masters. Bill saw the justness of his friend's
" equality" doctrine at once, and when called by the land-
lord, was decided in his own mind in what manner he
would propose to his master a change in the respective sta-
tion; he to assume the duties of ostler, and his employer to
take up the curry-comb and brush ; " turn about's fair play,"
thought Bill. In the evening, whe❑ the lecturer wished to
retire, the landlord conducted him to his chamber, and showed
him the bed he was to occupy. After he had disrobed himself
and turned down the clothes to get into bed, he started back
with astonishment on beholding his friend Bill in snug posses-
sion of one-half of it, who invited him with a familiar nod to
get in. The abolitionist cast a look of scorn on poor Bill, and
demanded of the landlord what he meant by giving him a " nig-
ger" for a bed-fellow ? He was answered with his "equality"
argument. "Bill's person was healthy, he had on a clean
shirt, was not addicted to any ugly habits in his sleep, and
more than all, was one of the proscribed and injured race'"
for whom the gentleman professed such ardent love; the last
consideration ought to make Bill a welcome companion to
the "lodger." The enraged philanthrophist could not stand
this practical test of his doctrine, but let loose his wrath on
the landlord:—" Sir, I tell you I will not put up with this
unparalleled indignity; who ever heard of such insolence?
putting a gentleman to sleep with a filthy nigger!" "And
let me tell you, Sir," replied the landlord, "that with that
nigger' you'll have to sleep, if you sleep at all; he is as
clean in his person and clothes as you are yourself, and in
every other respect, according to your own preaching, he is
your equal, so hop in and embrace your brother, for most cer-
tainly he shall be your companion till morning." The aboli-
tionist threatened, raved, and coaxed, but all would not do;
the landlord was inexorable, he was determined to make his
lodger practise what he preached, and the crestfallen aboli-
tionist was compelled to take his place alongside of his sooty
friend, where he lay till morning, enduring feelings that can-
not be described. He was kept in a state of continual rest-
lessness through the whole night, repelling Bill's familiarities,
and keeping the negro's woolly head out of his face. Ile rose
at the dawn of day, while his comrade "all in black," with a
mind free from all the perplexing cares of life, was enjoying
"the honey-heavy dew of slumber," called for his bill and left
the town. The lecture was consequently indefinitely post-
poned. Bill related, with great importance, the distinguished
honour conferred on him, by being the bed-fellow of Mr.—,
but said the comfort is not so much to be desired, as the
`• gemman kicked most almightily, and had a 'strernely bad
bref, dat, however, is 'tributable to his white extraction."—
Charleston (American) Mercury.