The weekly Anglo-African. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1859-1861, 1859-11-12

battle to fight; In an hour like this, it is
| inglorious shameful. l stand
pledged to the slave, if he will only throw
down his sugar knife, cast away his cotton
hook, and strike for liberty, that | will
stand by him, that my wife will say amen
to the deed, even if it widows her; that my
children will approve the act, if it deprive
them Of a fathers care"
This speech had very exciting effect.
Some dreaded that such words were calcu-
lated to do harm; others thought that such
brave words were needed to educate the
people, but in my humble opinion, set
them down as somuch "buncombe," having
embraced the idea that the less is contained
in the greater; and as several fugitives had
oeen taken from his State, and had never
heard of his arming in their defence, did
not feel any fear of soon seeing his wife
widowed by his sleeping in martial grave,
a martyr to the cause Of negro freedom. l
was Just mischievous enough to say, |
thought his life might vie with the wander
ing Jews if he never lost it till he laid it
down in negro insurection.
"Pshaw /" he exclaimed, while others
smiled, and some of the women Uttered,
but being only woman, he did not think
it worth while to combat me.
The fighting argument not finding very
many earnest friends, our advocate for
wealth took up the thread Of the discourse,
and proceeded with disquisition of the
social forces being propelled by golden
wheels. "Give us wealth" said he, and
that will give us position; white men will
court our society, and gold, though yellow,
will be the most potent whitewash we can
find" And thus for some time the speaker
dilated on the advantages of wealth; VS.
ions of office, power and position gilded his
thoughts, and he was growing warmer and
warmer with the subject, when our emlgra-
ZIONIST broke in with sudden impatience, 81
do not want to purchase right to sit at the
same table with another man because his
face is white; if he is too proud to eat with
me l feel too much selfrespect to force
myself upon him; in fact, l do not like
this American civilization so much as to
wish to initiate every feature of Hence,
I go in for emigration, where we can de-
velop civilization of our own, and model
character for ourselves, without taking
white man for our constant pattern. L
would have our race live out their own IN
dividuality, and build up their own charac-
ter. do hate and despise thisimitatlon"
"Now, my friend" said l., " are you not
little too radical, on the whole2 Todesplse
imitation entirely, is to throw away car
dinal source of improvement; we had never
learned to talk had we, from our cradles,
fH6sfsH,s ;i t. inlsasg s2gnas The best seulp
he despised imitation; and the best poets
and painters are the best imltators OF the
highest ideal of the natural with them
selves. But my friend, if you substitute
aping for imitation | agree with you"
"And what" said several voices, is the
difference between aping and imitation e
Now, to answer this question, puzzled
me considerably; not that it was very hard
to define the difference; but here l was IN
house, surrounded bywhat | called apIsh-
ness. 1t was near mid day, and the SKY
was bending over us as calm and bright
as the ewes of affection over the cradle OF
slumbering innocence, and yet the windows
were closed, and the bright sunshine ana
JOYOUS skies were excluded, as if gas-ight
were an improvement on sunshine, and the
balmy breath of spring less welcome than
the stifed air Of a crowded drawing room
Fingers used to the wash-tub were glitter
ing with Jewels, women were vieing with
each other in rich laces and elegant bro
cades; hands hardened by labor were en-
cased in fine and delicate gloves; neeks
that had sweated in getting up excellent
dinners for "white folks" were adorned
with golden chains, and arms that had been
weary in carrying heavy burdens were
cleaning with golden bracelets one
woman. whose husband was barber, told
me her dress had cost about fifty dollars,
and set of jewelry had cost forty doll rs
Another woman, whose husband was a
waiter at some public house, had given
three dollars and half yard, under
stood, for hers. Now, being a country
girl. and having, possibly little prejudice
AGAINST CITY folks, who would not tolerate
nv country notions and rustic ways, how
could /, with my characteristic bluntness,
define my position without giving ohense
Now, here was dilemma; my city frend
looked warningly atme. With all his good
qualities he has one little weakness, at
| least it appears so to me; ne Stahus III
dread of that quintessence of tomfoolery,
negro aristocracy, but as | am only a coun-
try girl, maybe | do not understand city
ways well enoughto appreciate his fears AT
last summoned up courage, and REPLIED
Imitation is simply copying or making
patterns after an example. by aplng,
mean servile imitation, or abject mimleklng'
Imitation is laudable, and source OF i'm
provement, when it incites us to copy that
which is useful in science or art. Trul y
beautiful in aesthetics, or excellent, IN
morals, it degenerates into apishnesss, when
it leads us to copy the vices and foiiies OF
others, because they fill what are called su,
perior stations If l see the wife and
daughter of the poor laborins man striving
to dress and model their homes after a
Fifth Avenue palace, call that aping;
if see colored man isolate himself from