Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1865-10-21
,rts Strange ! What Of the Freedman ?

i.bow,no desire 10 visit the country, from
which mis- tor.fathers were stolen, by the
English and Yankee slave traders and sold to
the South. With the whites, "the land Of our
forefalhers" is never forgotten, but The memo
~ of il 10 handed down from sire 10 son a. an
heir loom. But not so With the negro. he
hates even to hear the uame Of Africa NELL
toned, and though the terrible struggle OF the
las, four wears has liberated millions OF slaves
who have been turned ,adrft upon the world
f and have no places they can rall home, and
have no one 10 provide for them and TO take
care Of the feeble and the aged, yet not one
has shown any inclination or desire to return
10 that old and sunny land. In vain does Ethl-
ouia call upon her children TO return. Liberia
stretches out her arms and impIores the mil
lions Of Freedmen to hasten 10 that "haPPy
land =" not OF "cotton" but Of coffee, sugar,
ginger, vans, peanuts, arrow root, spices, &c,
but IN vain. There the climate is mild, aud
emgrants soon become acclimated, and tropl-
cal fruits and vegetables grow spontaneously
and with little or no cultivation In word 1t
is the very paradise" on earth that the negro
has so often dreamed of. Fowls and fish are
very abundant and psGrLy streams and spark
ing fountains are not unlrequent and no coun'
try is known that is so well suited and adapted
to the simple, indoIent and lmproVIdent habits
Of the race. There he can live "without
work" and have plenty to eat ready to his
hand.
We all know that the negro is incapable OF
enduring severe cold and prefers the hottest
days Of summer 10 the pleasant, bracIng Wea-
| Their Of our Falls, and rejoices, like the black
snake, when the winter is over, that ne can
bask in the sunshine of early spring. He Is
law. thriCtless aud lacks that intelligent lore
sight necessary to provide for daily wants IN
thi, climate, and will not labor even for ms
own subsistence, unless compelled to do 1t BY
some superior mind. He will do nothing that
viii require continuous labor or which he can
not neglect al his own tickle will
This being the well known characteristic OF
the Freedman, what country is better adapted
to their natures than that of Liberia There
lh-y can 90 without clothing if they chose, and
lie in the sunshine oil day and dance all night.
They need not labor for something to eat as
It grows without the necessity of sowing and
reaping," and that too, best suited to tue kind
Of life he leads when left to himself and unre
strained There too, he will be on equality |
with all and Will not be restrained by caste on
account Of color.
There is already colony on the coast oil
Africa in full operation. Liberia has It's Pres
ldcnt aud Vice President, It's Congress and
Courts, It's Lawyers and Judges, It's doctors
and preachers, its churches and colleges, and
all the machinery Of well organized govern
meat, ard no better field could be offered Tor
the many Cesar Augustus, VS. Julius C9 'ars,
&c. to display ucIr eioquence. The PuIPH
and the bar are opened 10 the many aspiring |
preachers and orators that have sprung up, |
.mincua like" full frdged, from the "coi!epse |
Of The confedeTacy," SO called Gong from
his country to That, they VIII be honiLcd D!
the inhabitants of that GLORIOUS country" ana
will soon be elevated to that high position to
which they are entitled and winch they can
never expect to obtain in this country. There
they will have many privileges which Will al
ways be denied them here, as an inferior race
There they will rise to honor and increase IN
numbers, while here their own idle and Vicious
habits viii! cause them to decrease in numbers
and finally disappear like the Indian, before
the superiority Of the whites. The protecting
care OF the whites has hitherto caused them 10
multiply, made them healthy, clothed them
when idle, provided for them in sickness and in I
old age. Being now deprived of this aud lett
TO their own indoent and tnriftless DISPOSE
lions and fanciful notions, they must sooner or
later follow in the footsteps of the Red man,
if they remain here. The South can no
longer extend to them that kind care and at
tention she has hitherto done, eyenif allowed
10 do so, as the means has beer taken away,
and the North is otherwise engaged and has
but little sympathy with tho suffering of the
Freedman. The foolish idea that has taken
possession OF the negro and is nStlled into
him by ignorant and evIl-dlsPosed persons,
saat the lands Of their former owners will be
parce!ed out 10 them, is thus settled by
Gen Howard, chief OF the Freedman's Bu-
reau:
she alluded to the falacious idea which
some entertained that the lands Of the South
would be parcelIed among them by the gov
eminent al Christmas. This idea, he told
them, was utterly without foundation, and TO
discard il from their minds. The govern
ment had 10 lands TO give; it had no right 10
take them from their owners, and 1t would
not be best if it had the right; and that If
lands were given them now with their want
of experience in ma raging Tor themselves aid
Lick of means, they would not find 1t 10 their
advantage, and would most probably soon be /