, 1863-01-20
FRED. DOUGLASS IN CHICAGO,
His Lecture Last Evening.
TRUTH AND ERRoR

Ills Lecture Last Evening.
TRUTH AND ERROR.
Notwithstanding the severe rain storm last
evening, tho announcement that Fred. Dong
tass, tho distinguished colored orator OF
America, was to lecture ut Metropolitan HILL,
drew out an Immense audience, Tie hail WA
dense1y packed, in I'LL departments, with la-
dies and gentlemen Of the highest degree Of
Intelligence md responsibility.
Mr. D. was presented to tho audience By Rcy,
j. Il. Tuttle, who pscfaced his introduc-
tlon Of the speaker with few appropriate
words. as Mr. Douglass arose, hc was
greeted With loud md prolonged an.
plausc. The theme selected by the speaker
ns basis for bis address on tAls occasion WAS
"Truth and Error"
lie remarked TINT our government had dis.
covered now truth, and was organizing 1t
into law. lie could only talk
Of old truths. Properly speaking,
there was no such thing rs new truth. Error
might be old or new; but truth was as old rs
the universe, based upon sure foundation,
and could not be oyerthrown.
truth Mas m unit; error was multltudi-
noue. While man had bnt ono chance Of
hitting the right path, BE- had many chances
very many false lights, to lure mankind from
the true path. The wonder was not that men
erred, but that so much advancement had
been made In Important truth,
Truth was powerful; a single individual.
sas armed with truth, was majority against the
son advocated bold fruth h. &c Hy3a Taa Ia1r'. ma.
1orl1y Then, as truly as lie is now. He said
that shareholders were a bad set Of fel-
!oWs: The people hardly believed him then:
hut they believed him now, for besides his tos.
timonY they had that Of the shareholders
Truth was always safe; error was alvays
dangerous. Why was it, the speaker In
qulred, that our once peaceful country was
now filed With contention mud rcddened with
blood? It was because VIC had tolerated and
nour1sheu stupendous wrongg-thc wrong Of
human slasery: It was no strange event that
had happened to our country. Il WAS but the
cd to. 1'1"S|
: 4 certain great man had said that It was
useless to re-enact tho lars Of God. But
still greater man had declared that it was use
less to rc.ennct any other than the laws Of
laws Of God by transforming men into beasts
OF burden: Some people did not like pro-
gIess. The cid Hunhcrs did not like It.
There were some towns which, it was said,
we're entirely finished, and would not be id
the least injured by being fenced in. The
same vas true Of certain individuals; they
were 6onc jor. They were started out Of their
senses ut the PRONUNCIATION Of what was to
them new truth; or the new application Of
IN old truth. They were in favor Of the world
as it used to be; the Union us it vas; but III
tayor Of nothing as it ought to be.
imadverting upon Boston, because her citi-
zens had once prosecuted women accused Of
witchcraft, But such papers were only usin.
such things to Justify their own pet principles
Of Woman-Whipping and n,an-stealing. Bos-
ton had progressed, but these old Hunkcrs
had now begun where Boston left Of.
Error was always afraid Of truth; hence it
went armed with bludgeons and the instru-
ments ofbrute force. Bully Brooks walked into
the Senate chamber and struck down Summer.
but he left the 8enator's argument standing.
But that was the best Brooks could do; for
he vas on the side Of the cudgel and the
could use. Yet TINT argument Of Charles
summer would stand forever, and inspire tho
hearts Of the people for years after slavery
had passed away.
treated With the most profound respect, even even
by the people of the free North. It had been
regarded Us a sacred Institution, which could
not be touched, or eyen discussed. The
Abolitionists were often charged with bring
Ing on the war: But Of al classes Of persons
IN tho nation, they were the least obnoxious
to such charge. Had the opponents Of slay-
ery been allowed the right Of free speecll-as
the Federal Constitution declared every Amer
lean citizen should havc-the euormities Of
the "patriarchla1 institution :" would have
been done away with In peaceful manner.
But no snch right had been allowed. The yo~
tatics Of 1t had been 1oud In their advo-
cacy Of Elavery; its opponents had been re-
pcatelly gagged and driven from Southern
soil, Whenever they opened their mouths
a fatal blow had at last been struck at the
root OF tie gigantic evil. The President'a
proclamation Fad given the slaves the legal
right to liberty. Now they could obtain their
personal treedom without trampling upon
evil laws Instead of rising up rs insurrec-
up in obedience to law. It was a proud
thought that the first man to put the knife Of
mliitary power to the tlroat Of tt,is villa n,n1,.
ster, was an ll1inoi6an.
AZ last the edict Of freedom had gone forth,
a ana the e people we're prepared to sustain 1t and
carry It ont. The speaker had great deal Of
confidence In the virtue Of tie North but
still more In the villainy Of the South. lie
tlnnkcd Abe Lincoln for what he had done
towards destroying slavery, and he also felt
grateful to JEFF. Davis.
One Of the most hopeful indications Of tho
war vas q proposition before Congress to
Iafse 150, COO black troops. We lad been fight
ing the rebellion with only one hand-ngh{ing
it With our 6oft, delicate white hand, while the
hard, black hand had been tied behind our
back: That hand must be unlooscd, if we
knock down the rebellion.
But it had been said that the negroes would
not fight. Who belieYed IT. These same
Hunkers also declared that the negroes Of the
South would cut their masters' throats and
run away. We wcro told that they would not
work; and then In the next breath the same
croakcrs declared that il set free they would
come up North and take away all the employ
ment from onr laboring popnlatlopi Tie
truth was, the siayes would both fight and
work, If by doing so they could obtain their
freedom and earn an honest livelihood. They
were the only real Union men in the South.
NOV tney were beginning to feel that their
long-iooked-for day Of dellverance had come,
or At least wan within their reacl1
Ihc speaker wound up his address With q
very Interesting recital Of the grand Jubilee
which was held in Boston on tic first day Of
January, In which he was participant, At
TIC close Of his remarks, Mr.. Douglass was
greeted with rounds Of applauee. Us indeed he
had often been during the entire lecture, and
was surrounded By an esger circle OF ladies
end gentlemen WHO congratulated him upon
the elOquence Of his lecture, and lis able
effort In behalf Of his suffering brethren.