The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1865-12-29
miscellaneous.
The Future of the African Race,
fran tie Montreal { G.) Gas.ttc.

~S = NlaN - vi eAkS I11AlOuu AdC6b
Among the many important questions
now agitating the minds OF men, none can
he of more importance than the future of
the African race, and its proper position
among the races whittier it has been trans
ported. The greed and cruelty Of our
foretathers have been visited on their chill
dren, and this generation must perlorce
solve question it had no share in raising.
There is no maritime nation that has not
assisted in the slave trade. Frenchmen.
Spauiards, Englshmen aud colonsts have
all participated in the profits of UPRIGHT
eousness, and the children of all have
drank, aud will drink more deeply of the
cup their foreiathers mixed.
Still the question stares lis in the face,
and 1t Is useless now TO moralize. If we
Canadians are more free than our neigh
hours from this sin, it is only from the
nature OF our soil and climate. Slaves
were sold in Quebec, within the memory
of living people and old numbers of the
Quebec Gazette show the sad STOPPING fig
IRE, with bundle, which marked the adj
vertlsement OF Il runaway slave, as the
house--the 'house to LETT or the ship, the
''freight wanted" The we'll known accu-
sation against hing George, which the
Virginia Jefferson pat i'll the first draft of
the "DeclaraIion Of Independence" was
on being reported to Congress struck out
Sin Difference to the feelings of our Massa-
chusetts brethren, many Of whom are en-
gagged in the slave-tradc."
Groan for groan and blood for blood.
The baptism Of blood and fire of the last
few years may we'll have expialed the hor-
rors of the middle passage. The gift of
personal freedom has been conceded to
the African and now political equality is
demanded also. This is the question
which is now troubling men minds. To
state it il plain wor!s--it is to take the
African and place him on the level of a
civilization which is the accumulated
growth OF eight centuries. But we should
consider how hardly our own race have
won this freedom, and how slowly thew
have deserved it. Every step was won
under the leadership of the privileged
1iaseeh' I"lh huhnylneue 10 the last Rev.
olution. II at any time the lowest classes
cropped out in leadership, it was to put
liberty in peril. In the darkest ages, the
Roman Church, then the nobility, now
the middle classes, in future, perhaps,
the working class, have been and will be
the conservatorS of freedom.
Drop by drop, then, as education, intel
lectual and moral, fitted them for it, has
the precious draught of liberty been impair
ted to our Anglo-Saxon race. Even in It.
ally, highly gifted by nature and rich in
memories of the past, how anxious and
hazardous has been the experiment.
Though often tried, it has often failed
until now. Austria is feeling her way on
the same path. France has even recc-
ded. 1t is useless to talk of despots en-
slAving people. The people (unless in
the case of a foreign conqueror) are gov
erned by that form Of government which
best suits their political and moral condi-
otin.
Considering then all these circumstan-
stances, how absurd does it seem that