Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1859-02-10


prepared redeem all is issues In coin, and af
ter the Goth day Of February Inst sAa
...ff sa sa,st For the Republican,.
The Capacity of the African Race for
i,N Civilixsticn. Is 7sh
The position Is maintained by some. that the Ne
gro race are incapable ofcivilizaicr. As the ques-
ton involved Is one of considerable importance, Il
may not be amiss to offer few thoughts upon IL.
To investigate our subject properly, II will be
necessary to compare the Negro or African race
with other portions of mankind, in differeut peri
ods of the world. l. This race in their own COM
try at the present day. are more enlightened than
were once the Greeks, the Germans. the Italians,
the French, and he English. 2. All nations have
Invariably risen slowly, from savage to enlight-
ened condition. The Greeks were more than a
thousand years. in rising fosi their sagave state,
to that emincnce in rc6nementwhich they ultimate
ly reached. The Britcns were still longer. in gain
ing their position as an enlightened people. Fifty
Eve years befor. the Christian era, Julius Caesar
landed an army on that island He found the pco-
pie in an abject state Of barbarism The Romans
ultimately conquered the codntry. and cndca, cred
to instruct the natives in the practices Of civilized
life They met it is true with some success, but it
is well known by historians, that the English in the
eleventh and twelfth cesturics, lad not risen high
ct than what would now be termed. half-crilized
state. They hare not been distinguished as
fined people. more than two or three hundred years.
All Of the present great nations Of Europe, have
progressed in civilization, at about the same slow
pace. -.- 81 fi ss..,
3. The proficiency which nations or bodies of
people make in civilization, depends greatly upon
the circumstances which surroun thenn Some ma
tions have been greatly benefited, intellectually
and morally, by an intercourse with the people of
o:her countries. The Greeks when in savage
tians. From the former they learned navigation
and letters from tho latter civil poIty, agriculture.
and architecture. The Romans cxcrted strong
influence towards the civilization of many of the
present great nations of Europe; which nations are
now doing much for the elevation of mankind in
different parts of the world.
Sonc nations who once St ,od lish in point ofrc-
fnement and power, have dcgcneratcd. The
Greeks, the Egyptians, the inhabitants of Asia
Minor, and Syria come under this head. Their de-
grneracy cannot justly be ascribel 70 want of +
picity. 1t is un loub,edly owing to the conqucsts
which have been made over them. and to the op
presivc governments under which they have lived.
We will now consider the African r.cc. their or
igin and characteristics. According TO Rollin. Af
RIGA was first settled by three offle sons of Ham,
Misr.in, Cush and Phut. Misr.im (somctimes
called Mencs) settled Egypt, Cpsh Ethiopia, and
:hus region west of T. ypt, now probably inclu-
dcd withia the present limits of . area or Trp,i.-
tn Egyptians can jusilSIboaa<& great antiquity
in civilizations Three thousini years ago. they
were the mo enlightened people upun the face of
the globe Their country produced eminent states
men, scholars, and generals. For something like
two thousand years they maintained high stand
ing as refined people.
Eu to whatrace did the Egyptians bclongl What
their complcxioni According to Heroiotus.
who lived about four hundred yearSbefore the chris
tian ora. the Egyptians of his time had black skins
and woolly hair. That the Eth;opians, people
scarcely less refined than the Egyptians were black
in complexionthcre can be doubt. s ffl
For long time, no African nation has been dis.
tinyui-hed for power and refinement That part of
the Continent from which the slaves Of America
were principally obtained. lies south Of the great
Dcsert, and is watercd by the Senegal. tho Gambia
the Niger, and the Congo rivers. According to
Park, Clappcrton, Dcnm an, and the Ianders, the
natives of the interior of this region, have made
considerable advancement in civilization. On the
cJast they more bsrbarous, and this is sundoubt-
edly owing 10 the influence Of the slave traffic
That the African race less enli ligI,tened than
some nations Of the Caucasian variety, is admitted
But the great mass ofthe former now occupy high
er positicnin civilization, than the English did f
teen hundred years ago, and a higher ono tI,an the
Prussians did, in the twelfth century. They are
equal to-day In this respect to many Tartar tribes
OF the Mongolian race. and to the Arabs ofthe eau
casian race. Are we to suppose then, that Negroes
are incapable ofa good degree of intellectual and
moral development. because they cannot compare
with some European nations, who. enlightened as
they are at present, have but lately emerged from
barbarism. As the past few hundred years have
fc@s IN TIC Oh
Europe, may we not anticipate on good grounds,
that equal length of time in the future, will pro-
duce great changes in ntheciviization Of Africa
As the Egyptians and Ethiopians .es the African
race, were the most enlightened nations of antiqu
ty Is il not reasonable to suppose that their des-
cendants may BY proper cultivation, rise to rcs-
pcctable standing as civilized people. Indeed a
change for the better is now going on, among the
Negroes Of the interior and western parts of Aff-
ca Except in the immediate vicinity Of the slave
traffic, they are evidensly rising with considerable
rapidity in intelligence and refinement. Good au-
thorites admit that they are much less barbarous
now, than they were one or two centuries ago. =
That the Negroes of our country, are not dstin-
guished for intelligence and energy Of character is
notstrange. Look At their condition. From ed
ucational privileges they are almost entireycut off,
In the most OF the slave States, it is pcntentary
offence TO teach coIorcd person to read. Even
in the free States. they arc eeacraIy looked upon
As an inferior class Of beings and treated with con-
tempt Awhile person with intelligence and a good
character Is sure Of being respected; but one Of
sable hue would secure little respecs from the great
mass, If he was - talented as Daniel Webster, or