Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1850-04-20
From the Essex (Mass.) Freeman.
Origin and History Of the Africans.

Mn. EpIToR.-A very able and interesting
lecture was delivered last Tuesday eve in the
Vestry OF the Old South Church in Danvcrs
by Mr.. Wm. G. Allen, a eolored law stu
dent of Boston, on the origin and History
Of The .lfiicdns.
Mr.. Allen commenced with the some
what startling assertion, that the Africans
originated the arts and sciences, and gave
the first impulse to civilization. How diff
ferent this idea from the notion entertained
by great numbers in this country ot the pres
eDt day, some of whom would endeavor to
persuade themselves and others TO believe,
that the negro is but n mere connecting link
between the brute creation and the human
race! But the speaker sustained his posi-
ton by the most irrcffugible proofs drawn
from the past history of the world evincing
n depth of research to which few men of
any profession can lay claim. lie seemed in
deed TO be perfectly familiar with the history
of every branch of the human family, us far
back as the days of Noah, and TO possess an
intimate acquaintance with all the writings
extant of every historian both ancient and
modern.
With one stroke of his logic he let the
wind out of that sophistical argument put
forth the last year in pamphlet entitled.-
ihOheutS VII cluNCIgS III WHICH tilc outiloI
endeavors TO prove by the curse pronounced
upon Canaan, that Southern Slavery is a
bible institution sanctioned by the God of
Heaven
"Canaan," said Mr.. A., "was the only son
of Ham who did not settle in Africa, but in
Asia; and the bitter curse pronounced upon
his posterity was fulfilled in the eXtermina-
tion of the Canaanites by the Hebrews, and
in the destruction and downfall of Car
thngc."
The reader will find this line of thought
more fully carried out in the able "Report of
the Committee on Slavery TO the Convention
of Congregational Ministers of Massachu-
setts," which we understand was from the
pen of DIR. Worcester, of Salem.
In this Report, at the close of one branch
of the argument occurs the following pas
sage: ain truth and sobemess, il may he
affirmed that the whtest stakeholder of mod
ern Christendom is as liable to have the
blood Of Ham or of Canaan in his veins, us
is any one of his slaves"
Proceeding in his lecture, Mr.. A. run
tilt against Prof Agassiz, who has recently
made an attack upon Divine Revelation, by
denying that God made of one blood all
nations of men to dwell on all the face OF
the earth," aud completely unhorsing him,
knocked him back into the dark ages 10
founder on through the chaos of bis own
conflicting opinions with Lin9us, Button,
Helvetius, Monboddo and Darwin, men who
once advocated the same absurd theory, that
the human race originated from different
! sources.
And sill further, TO show that the negro,
like the white man, sis Gods image, al
though carved in ebony" and is capable of
becoming one of the most exalted specimens
of humanity, TIE lecturer adduccd the ex-
amples of Hannibal and Augustine, the first
OF whom was admitted TO be one of the
greatest Generals and Statesmen, and the
latter one of the proloundest Theologians
which the world has ever produced.
And TO these he might have added the
names of Freidig Of Vienna, an excellent
architect, Lslet of the Isle of France, who
was made a member of the French Acade-
my, Arno, who was honored with diploma
OF Doctor of Philosophy by the University
of Watemberg, in 1874, and Vasa and lg-
natius Suncho, whose taste and genius en-
riched the polite literature of England.
blr. A. also showed that the diyersities a.
mong the different nations Of mankind were
produced by the influence which climate,
hard treatment, and different kinds of food
had upon the animal frame and color OF the
skin.
The lecture was one which would have
done honor 10 the mind of the historian Ban
croft, while the gentle and modest demeanor
of the speaker, together with the graceful
ness of his elocution and ready command Of
language, gave to tie performance an addi-
tionul interest.
We understood that ut the close OF the
meeting, one or two profound erudites leit
the Vestry, complaining that the lecturer
L. al.