Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-04-10
MISCELLANEOUS.
LETTER FROM FREDERICK DOUG
LASS.

MoNTRosE, (Scotland,) Feb, 2G, 1916.
My DEAR FR1END GARRIsoN.
In my letter to you from Belfast, l intima-
ted my intention 10 say something more about
Ireland and although | feel like fulfilling
my promise, the Liberator comes to me so
laden with foreign correspondence, that feel
some hesitancy about increasing it. | shall,
however, send you this, and if it is worth a
place in your columns, l need not tell you to
publish it. 1t is the glory of the Liberator,
that in it the oppressed Of every class, color
and cline, may have their wrongs fully set
forth, and their rights boldly vindicated.-
Your brlve assertion of its character in your
last defence of free discussion, has inspired
me with a fresh love for the Liberator.-
Though established for the overthrow Of the
accursed slave system, 1t is not lnsenslble to
other evils that afilict and blast the happiness
of mankind. So, also, though | am more
closely connected and identified with one
class of outraged, oppressed and e%nslaved peo-
pie, ! cannot allow myself to be insensible
10 the wrongs and suiferings of any part of
the great family Of man. | am not only an
American slave, but a man, and as such, am
bound to use my powers for the welfare of
the whole human brotherhood. ] an not 90
ing through this land with my eyes shut, ears
stopped, or heart steelcd. ] am seeking to
see, hear and feel all that may be seen, heard
and felt and neither the attentions | am re-
ceiving here, nor the connection | hold to my
brethren in bonds, shall prevent my disclos-
ing the results of my observation. | believe
the sooner the wrongs of the whole human
family are made known, the sooner those
wrongs will be reached. | had heard much
OF The misery and wretchedness of the Irish
people, previous to leaving the United States,
and was prepared TO witness much on my ar
rival in Ireland. But | must confess, my ex-
perience has convinced me that the half has
not been told. / supposed that much that |
heard from the American press on this sub
ject was mere exaggeration, resorted to for
the base purpose of impeaching the charac-
ter of British philanthropists, and throwing
d mantle over the dark and internal character
of American slavery and Shareholders. My
opinion has undergone no change in regard
to the latter part of my supposition, for l be-
lieve a large class of writers in America, as
well as in this land, are Influenced by no high
er motive than that OF covering up our nation
al sins, to please popular prejudice and thus
many have harped upon the wrongs of Irish
men, while in truth they care no more about
lrishmen, or the wrongs of Irishmen, than they
care about the whipped, gagged, and thumb
screwed slave. They would as willingly sell
on the auction block an Irishman, if it were
popular TO do SO, as an African. For heart,
such men have adamant-for consciences,
they have public opinion. They are a stencil
in the nostrils Of upright men, and a curse to
the country in which they live. The limits
of a single letter are insufficient to allow any
thing like a faithful description of those pain
ful exhibitions of human misery, which meet
the eye of a stranger almost at every step.-
| spent nearly six weeks in Dublin, and the
scenes | there witnessed, were such as TO
make me blush and hang my head TO think
myself Il man. l speak truly, when | saw
| dreaded to go out of the house. The streets
were almost literally alive with beggars, dis
playing the greatest wretched ness-some of
them mere stumps of men, without feet, with
out legs, without hands, without arms-and
others still more horribly deformed, with
crooked limbs, down upon their hands and
knees, their feet Tapped around each other,
and laid upon their backs, pressing their wav
through the muddy streets and merciless
crowd, casting sad looks to the right and left,
in the hope of catching the eye of a passing
stranger-the citizens generally having set
their faces against giving to begga;s. Ihave
had more than dozen around me at one time,
men, women and children, all telling a tale
of wo which woIld move any but a heart of
iron. Women, barefooted and bareheaded,
and only covered by rags which seemed to
be he'd together by the very dirt and filth
with which they were covered-many of
these had infants in their arms, whose ema-
ciated forms, sunken eyes and pallid checks,
told too plainly that they had nursed till thew
had nursed in vain. In such a group YOU
may hear all forms of appeal, e%ntreaty, and
expostnlation. Half a dozenl voices have
broken upon my ear at once :-'W VIII your
honor please to give me penny to buy some
bread = May the Lord bless you, give the
poor old oma a little sixpence.' For the
love OF God, leave us a few pennies-we will
divide them amongst u.s. ooh nv poor
child, it must siarve, for Gods sake give me
a penny, More power to you | know YOUR
honor will leave the poor creature something.
All, do! alb, do! and / will pray for Won Ss
long as | live For a time | gave wav tn
my feelings, but reason reminded me that
such a course must only add another 10 tbe
already long list of ~beggars, and | was often
compelled to pass, as if needed NOT and fell,
not. fear il had a hardening effect upon
my heart, as found it much easier to PASS
without giving to the last beggar, than the
hrst. The spectacle that affected me most.
and made the most vivid impression on NV
mind, OF the extreme poverty and wretched.
ness OF the poor of Dublin, was the freouen-
~ with which ] met little children in the
,ireet at a late hour of the night, covered with
ilthy rags, and seated upon cold stone stems.
IN corners, leaning against brick walls &c,