The Placer herald., 1862-10-18
THE PLACER HERALD
AUBURN, OCTOBER IS, 1862.
The Negro..Past and Present.

country the war between the North and the
South, and all the attendant train of evils
and horrors over which We now mourn. 1t
is said we shall have no peace, until be is
freed from the condition he now occupies, in
what are called the slave states. To effect
this object, the civil power Of Federal and
State Governments, have been rendered
subservent to the military power, and the
North marshals all its strength to effect the
proposed end.
Whether we regard it as move incident
to the war, or as the leading object, 1t is evi-
dent that it is measure against the accom-
plishment of which, the South will contend
rs for existence itself
In view of this approaching fearful strug
gle, may not reasonable men ask-"what is
all this worth'" And in considering the AMI
swer enquire further, whether the negro has
at any time shown himself eqnal to the re,
quirements of citizen Of free Statel-
whether be is worse off under the American
system Of slavery, than he has been in other
parts of the world in times past, than be is
At the present.
If these questions should be answered in
the negative, it NAV well he a question, as
to the proprety of making these mighty
sacrifices in his behalf We believe the
negative to be true, and we 10 not maintain
the proposition in any feeling Of unkndness
to the negro, on the contrary we believe
that religion, morality, humanity, and the
truth of Gods eternal laws, all substanliate
this view of the case.
ut is self evident fact that the negro
is of an entirely distinct race from the
Caucasian, differing essentially, mentally
and physically from the latter; and now if
all history proves that he is inferior in Ger
tain points to the latter, it would be disor
ton of nature, to require of him the respon
sbilities annexed to the privileges of the
white race. That inferiority is not to be
treated as a fault by the superior race, but
with the compassion due from a guardian.
A writer n the ~ Y Journal of Com
nseree in comparing races. after speaking OF
the advances in civilization and the arts
during the past ages thus descants upon the
negro:
"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
A No n hat hat q airy ~ LA
OF everything that needs for comfort and
luxury. 1t has great rivers mountains and val
leys rich soil and seas that wash its shores. which
would carry an adventurous man to any portion
OF the world. 1t had within it the richest sour
ces of commerce mines OF gold and jewels. birds
of gorgeous plumage spices and balms for the
luxury wants of mankind. 1t stretch, d away
into tenn crate regions and had every variety OF
of climate and soil. Alas for Africa, that in the
wisdom of God it was given to be the abode OF
the black race.
In A frica. no man finds one solitary memorial
on which to found theory that u negro race
was there even other than now, u race Of barba-
rians There is no alienation of civilization
and bar arism in the history OF Africa. Ii il
one long, barbarc stagnation.
Let there be no misunderstanding
Egyptians once inhabited the lower Nile,
and the antiquarian finds the evidences of an
elaborate civilization, but these were not
as certain abolilioninists have asserted
negroes. They were quite different people.
The Africa of the negro, has been for these
thousand of years just as it is now-the
wids and jungles of barbarism,-n change
or improvement to relieve the long night of
its savage aspect. Slavery has and does
now exist there, of the most inhuman ma
ture; beastly habits and besotted idola,ry are
stamped upon the morals of its inhabitants
So much for the past. The adventurous
European merchant made commerce of the
African slave, as the Egyptian merchant
bad done thousands of years ago.
They brought them. to England, and to
the Islands and Continent of America.
They brought them from an iuhuman slavery
into direct contact with one of the most
cultivated races whose humanity!was height
ened by the teachings of Christianity. This
in itself must be admitted an improvement
Of their condition.
Among the Spanish, French, Portuguese,
and to some extent among the English, the
treatment of the African slave, in the West,
WAS not such as to enhance the race, but
even there the bestowing upon the slave all
the privileges Of the master has not worked
to the advantage of the negro-bnt has
most essentially injured the white race. 1t
is in our own country that the very best
illustration is to be found. In no part of
world can the slavery Of the African be
found so mild and favorable in every point OF
view to him.
Ii his position here, was in violation of
nature. there would be decrease in their
- E,..t 20 hnt