Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1865-07-12
Cen. Wilde and Dr. French.

beth connected with the recently estaDlrsheu
Bureau, have been in our town.two>
Jays during shc past week, for the purpose OF nd
dressing the whites and blacks upon tho newly
developed relations botwcon them. Gen. WILDE,
ap officer of highly rreposaessing exterior and
very csrtlemanly manners and address, said but
little on either Of tho two occasions whenhe stood
before the public Of Edgehcld. Like Mosss"of
old, he was the leader and law-givor of theexpe-
dition, while Dr. ,FnnScH played Aaron nnd was I
his " spokesman unto the people," Dr. FnENcH Is |
a native of Vermont, lived for many years'before-
tho war iif ye are not nisiuformcd) in Ohio; and
for three yearsra,t, has lived and labored on the
Coast Of. South Carolina. He has long been an
abolitionist end s fTicnd of thonsgro: or atleast
so he w,ul,l himself Axrre:s is. Nc we';l'l say
however, meaning the reverend gcnt.snan'no dis
respect, q fanatcaJ aholilioi.ist and negro wof-
shipper. He says that lie means we'll; and VIC
earnestly hope no does. lie says TOO that he loves
The whites rs 'much is the blacks; and he doubt
lcss thinks hc does, but in this ho dceeires him.
scls. III moreover bogs urgently that he MAJ bo
alyscdof anyiadiscrctidas, or:sistakes, or errors
of ,dgnient. he may commit in his present course
of labor ~ dc wishos to do a!fthc good he posi-
biz csr Wo fedues. lsavc 80 take him at his
word, ana poir; oa5 soma sarmiEg indi.cretions
he committed while in EdgTfc'd. ~'.'
Tho osptechos talmost entire, but net qsitv
SOY Of this gentleman, carefully prcf=rsdty our
kind and Intelligent friend, Maior'J Jas Il. MuH-
nrLL, Of the Charleston Ccrrcr, will bs found in.
our paper of to-day They contain the wise and
christian things that DR.. FRENCH said: These
wise and christian things were good seed, but not
wall sown; as tho reverend gentleman scattered
them, be also scattered tares and frebrnnda.' In
bis feast of charity on Friday last, thero were
many dark spots Thc institution of slavery is,
asDr FRENCH so often and so strongly nnd so
persistently and so exultngly expresses it, clean
gone forever. lie believes, and so'do we, that no
power shartof the mighty atm of Cod can re-
store it, Why thcn does DR.. FRENCH harrow up
and in1lamo tho minds of tie lately freed negroes
land aIso of their lutte mastcrs) by bis vivid, ter
riby y-cxaggerated and oft-repeated pictures Of
tho abuses whicE have existed in thet institution
What good can all this possibly do? Wat in
fuitc harm does it not do? Tho institution is
zone and Why all this? Does Dr.. FRENCH re-
member bis fearful picture of the ruthless sunder-
ing Of husbandifrom wife, Of mother from child
of tue selling of "babss" upon the auction block,
while their distracted mothers stood by powcrlcss
| for ought but grief and tsars 2 We know infin-
! i,clymorc about this matter than DR.. FREScs, and
,Fo never saw q "babe" sold from its mother
nor child under twelve years Of ago either
Does no remember his horrible and prurient pic
ture of the forced and compulsory adultery and
;mnurity Of negro women? Does ho remember
his narrowing picture Of negroes boing shot. and
tortured, and hunted down by bloodhounds? Hi
exaggerated all these things shamefully-verJ
sba,nefully. And even if they had existed as he
painted them, what boots it to bring then forth
so .larin ay now? Now, when they cannot hap
pen again? Under, the present circumstances
his words should al DO words Of charity, hi
teachings al teachings Of love and good will, and
his incucalons those of forgetfulness of the past
DR.. FREScn may have thought it wise and usefu
to draw these terrible pictures, so narrowing tt
tho blacks and SO insulting to the whites: We hop'
his motive was good. To him they may have ap
,,ccred right and prnpcr; tn the @white ,msn VIII
heard him, they appeared unchristionj malicious
and indecent. We do not speak hastily o, in pas
sion wehave weighed the three words we'll
And in uttcring them, We have tho honest inten
ton of warning Dr. FRENCH Of those thing
which will certainly and assurediy mar aud bio
his labors And we would warn the DR.. Oh AL
other point. Ho should always be careful whil
making these speeches to keep General at hi
side aad soldiers at his back, for on Friday last
nothing upon earth but The fear of being b.yo
ne,tsd or thrown into prisou, kcpt.ua from hurl
ing stone at his head. Perhaps on somc future
occasion, the indignation of some outraged South
ern man will cause lin to forget both bayonc
ana prison.
The minds Of the people Of the South arc fully
madc.up as regards tho institution of slavery
they considt it gone. Nor 10 they weep oyer i
half as much as Dr.. FRENCH seems to think
Thoy have not the faintest intention Of forcing
Or attempting 10 fcrcc,, the negroes back into
bondage; nor have they tho fan.cst idca Of nbu
sing and rnal'rra,;ng them either openly or Sc
crctly. The ress or :ou'hern men feei just .n'
kindly % Tie blacks as DR.. FRgyc1-al.d wiz
much nor, method :.",, uederstani.ag in .aei,
kindly feeling. The S2uth"ro ylaa racaguize:
the freedom Of th~ncgro, Lnt lann,s recognize
his equality With tho whites. Col has. stamped
the negro. with he ssal of inequality, and never
until the white race dcgeneratcs to tho lctel 81
the negro can there -bo ony such equality. And
the Northern man Knows this, ard fecls it, just as
much us tho Southern man ; ror is the negro to-
day any moro the equal Of the white man ut the
North than OF the whita man at the South. In
his case, frcedom snd equality aro distinct terms
Dr. FRENCH does not know hnlf as much about
the former or existing relations between the
whites and blacks as ho imagneS he does. Nor
is ho by any means diapassionate and until he
becomes more dispnssionnte, ho will not be tho
right man for the work to which the Government
and Gen. HOWARD have assigned him. If any
man ever had need to pray night and day upon
hcpoed kneo that God would illuminate him for
tho work before him, that man is Dr.. FRENCH.
And all good people should pray for him IN this
behalf.