Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-09-01
The Black Race.


The Black Race.
The history of the world is recorded on the
surface of the globe in the works of men from
generation to generation and age to age We
gather these histories in books, and so trace the
successive periods of civilization and barbarism.
| the rise and fall of nations, the occupation of
countries in alternate centuries by the arts and
sciences, OF by the wild beasts and the water
fowl
But in recording the progress Of the human
race, it is melancholy fact that one large por
ton of the race has no part in the history
of that progress, has no history of advancing
civilization for itself.
We trace the existence of the black race, as
distinct people, to very early period. Some
persons imagine that the ancient Egyptians were
negroes. This notion has gained ground from
the persistent Justification of history by abolition
lists We know more of the ancient Egyptians,
| in regard to form and feature than of any other
ancient people, from the thousands of cotempO-
rary paintings which remain their monuments.
/ The negro is found on the Egyptian monuments,
but always as slave. The Egyptian is very
different parsonage. Welearn from these mOnu-
ments that so long ago the period OF Rameses
| H., and perhaps much earlier, nearly or quite B
| q. 1900, the negro race was found as distinct
type wholly different from the white rBce, having
the dark complexion, thick lips, and woody head
as now, and then now appearing among the
other races only a servant. No record in Egypt
assigns the black man any higher position than
/ this nor is he ever represented even among the
upper servants, who appear to have been admitted
] to confidential relations with their masters.
At this period, therefore, it is evident that at
least some parts of Africa were in the occupation
of the negro race, and from this time we may
commence view of the history of the two races,
down to the present date How widely different
the history In Africa itself the one race build
| ing the gorgeous works of Egyptian splendor,
celebrating civilization whose relics remain to
to this day for The establishment of man, the other
race reapsng even on the upper waters OF the
same great river, into a low barbarism out of
| which they have never emerged.
The white race in every part of the world
advanced in all that we call refinement ard civ
zation. One who desires to trace this advance
might DO it well by stu1ying the history of Ian
guage, the invention OF the alphabet and written
language in general the Improvements of papy
rus parchment and paper, the new forms of let
ters and finally the printing press and modern
books and newspapers. But sweeping glance
over the world will suffice to show what we mean
| In Asia, the remains of ancient glory abundanty
show the works OF various branches of the eau
casian race. In Europe, we have the highest
evidences of their early and progressive civiliza-
ton as well of their reformation after relapses
| into barbarism. In cold or in warm climates
under Governments of any and every FORM by
the sea- or in the interior of the continents, they
built cities, temples, churches, palaces, they
carved statutes, they invented arts, they investi
gated the secrets of nature and elaborated the
grand sum of human knowledge which the art of
| printing has finally gathered into thousands of
books. Wherever the white race wandered, there
civilization seems to have attended their efforts at
self-culture and rewarded their attempts at i'm
provement Even in China, Japan and the wilds
of HindOstan time improved the race, and with
out Christianity, without any direct guidance
| from superior intelligence, man worked out for
himself path to certain degree of knowledge
refinement civilization. If it be said that the
race was not originally barbarous that the imme
date descendants of Noah were possessed of the
arts and sciences known before the food. still the
truth is plain that the white race preserved the
benefits thus received, and when. in the course of
time, as in the heart of Asia, and throughout
Europe, they relapsed into barbarism, there was
still recuperative power which brought them up
out of that state aud restored them always and
everywhere TO civilized grade. 1t is vain to
charge this to C innate. In all climates the truth
remains the same, and the hottest regions of
| India give abundant evidence OF the wonderful
advances made by men, not of negro blood. in
arts, sciences, philosophy and general civilization
and refinement.
In contrast with all this, the history of the
black race is profoundly sad We know that
three thousand years ago this race existed in
Africa We know that that is country capable
of everything that man needs for comfort or
| luxury. 1t has great rivers, mountains and
valleys rich soil and that wash its shores,
which would carry an adventurous man to any
portion of the world 1t had within it the richest
sources of commerce, mines of gold and jewels,
birds of gorgeous plumage, spices and baims for
| the luxury or the wants of mankind. 1t stretch
Ell away into temperate regions, and had every
varietv of climate and soil. Alas for Africa, that
in the wisdom of God it was given to be the
abode of the black race. Wherever the other
race entered il ard gained foothold, it was re-
deemed from barbarism. Egypt was the mother
| of European wisdom and civilization The
PentapoIis was rich in temples and palaces, and
glorious works of art. Here and there in the
northern part of the interior, adventurous travel
ers like DR.. Barth, have found the splendid re
mains of Italian art, marking the footsteps of the
Roman. But from the day the black man pos
sessed the soil he has never advanced one step
in civilization. never builta hut more convenient
than his forefathers built thousands of years ago,
never invented written language, never made a
/ coin never hewn statue column, never
erected a temple, never learned that the world
moved around, never constructed ship, or even
rude bark, TO navigate the great rivers of
Africa In short, the race, iii possessed the arts
which the other descendants OF Noah possessed
i'm the earliest periods, lost them all relapsed into
barbarism, and for thousands OF years mas never
made one step in advance but steadily plunged
deeper and deeper into the lowest forms of degra-
dation In Asia. the Hindoo temples and palaces
date from remote ages, and the Chinese ciyillza-
ton seeks its origin in the earliest years. In
Europe, Greece and Italy attest the earliest adj
vance of man, and England, Germany, Russia
and France are all the growth of civilization from
barbarian origin. In America, country more
thinly pe0pled than any other, and probably in
habited at n very late dat., grand relics of art
attest the existence of civilization which has
no apparent origin in European or Asian teach
ing In Africa no man finds one solitary
memorial on which to found theory that the