Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-03-30
A tribute to Fred Douglas,

The following speech was made BY Pref
Charles D. Cleveland, of Philadelphia, in
introducing Frederick Douglas to an audi
ence in that city. 1t is at once appropri.
ate eloquent and truthful:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: 1 have been
requested by the ladies most deeply inter
ested in the success of this lecture to in
troduce to you the speaker of the evening.
The word Introduce" in the ordinary
meaning, implies that the party introduced
Is unknown to the other. In this sense for
me to introduce to you the orator of the
evening, known all the world over ss the
eloquent champion of human rights-the
rights of man ss man, whether an Indian,
40 African, or q Caucasian sun shone upon
his birth-would be, in the language of
Shakespeare, SIS "wasteful and ridiculous
excess" as ITO gid refined gold"
But in the sense In which it is
generally understoOd-to smooth the way
q little for the speaker of the EVENING"
an most happy on this occasion to do so,
though l think he has pretty generally
shown TO the world that he can smooth his
own way. Especially am happy to per-
form this Office this evening, as your orator
is of that race that has so long been heldin
bondage in our land but now, thanks be
to God nearly and seon doubtless to be
universally, emancipated. would rather
that this had been effected by the power of
Christian principle; but il, in the provi-
dence of God, it has been done by powder
and ball, 1 accept it; for, as the apostle said
he rejoiced in whatever way Christ was
preached, even though ''Of contention" so
in the present effects of liberty 81 rejoice,
yea and will rejoice even though gsined
BY the sword.
Bat not only is your orator of that race
that has been enslaved, but he can proudly
say, himself, too, i0as slave. Issy
proudly, for he has shown what man can do
under the most untoward circumstances.
when he has the chance to do, the free lib
erty to make the most of the talents God
has given him. And here let me make
prediction, and if there be reporter here
l hope he will mark it. that in less than
twenty years American terature will be
indebted for some of its best productions to
those who have been slaves, just as the noble
poet Whittier, and the gifted Mrs. Stowe,
have been inspired by the sufferings of the
slave. Perhaps you are not all aware how
much of the finest productions of classic
times we owe to those who were once slaves.
Who is that Grecian philosopher most
known, most read, most often quoted and
translated into mest langusges2 It was
1EsOp, the great fabulist. But ZEsop was
q slave. And who is the chief Roman fab
ulist, and the translator of H5sop? It was
Ph@iras. But Pba rus was slave; and
his fine lines to Ksop deserve to be re-
membered:
A statue of great cost and fame
Tn a then ans raised to Bsop's name,
That they might show to all mankind
The Path to glory's unconfned;
That homo s du, t. sterl ng worth,
AMI moi confined t. rank or birth.
Aud who was the prince of the Greek
Stole philosophers It Epietetus; but
Epictetus was slave; and no finer book
for the daily conduct of life have the an
clients left US than his Enchiridion or Man
usl and do not wonder that the early
Christian fathers valued it next to the
Scriptures themselves.
And who are, 1 will not say the two best
the only two Roman comic writers whose
comedies have come down to us? They are
Plautus and Terence; but Plsutus and
Terence were both slayes-and both were
celebrated ss much for their pure Latin
style as for their high comic power. 1t
was Terence, too, that uttered, in the
crowded amphithestre, that noble senti-
ment, admired the world over-EI am a
MAN, and whatever sppertaips to human.
tty, l consider as sppertaining to myself
and the vast building echoed with shouts
of applause. Ard shall we, in the middle
Of the 18th century of the Christian era,
say less than Pagan God forbid Shall
we deny to msn, IS MAN, his inslienable
rights Shall we, with the grossest iDjus-
tice as well as the most consummste mean
ness, ask the African Americans to use
their bullets in our aid ard defence, and
then deny to them, for their own advantage,
the ballot? Did we go into the war Of the
Revolution, with the motto, "no taxation
without representation" flying upon our
banners; and shall we now, with an hy-
pocrisy unparalleled in this world, impose
taxes upon q noble portion of our people,
and then deny to them the power of help
ing to choose q representative who shah
decide what those taxes shall be? God
forbid
But l have already kept you too long
from hearing your noble speaker Of the
evening, and with pleasure do introduce
to you Mr.. Frederick Douglass.