American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-11-01
BUTLER BUTLER COUNTY, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1866

in each Of the Southern States to teach
a colored person to read the Lords Pray
er or the Ten CommasdmeDts. | do not
mean to say that the statutes declare it
in express language felony to teach col
ored persons to read these particular pas
sages but the law did pronounce it fe',
ony to teach colored persons TO read, and
this prohibition embraced the Lord s
Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the
| Old and New Testamcnts. Yet we find
among the slaves, and more largely
among the free people of color in the
South, very large number who can read
and considerable number who can write.
This circumstance testihes to different
classes of facts. 1t shows, in the first
instance, that there were living under the
influence of that internal system some
humane people who occasionally, regard
less Of barbarous laws, taught colored
child Secondly, it shows that these
Hbrutal" colored people, who have ''no
intellect" twill not work" and "cannot
take care Of themselves" did, in spite Of
law, and while taking care of their mas
ters and their masters families, find time
and facilities to learn to read.
| During my recent visit to Charleeton,
| | was startled by what sounded like an
echo of my own voice, and, turning to
the speaker, / founda thick-set black man
| with hair knotted close to his head
can image of the Almighty in ebony"
if ever one was cut out of that material
Before him, Samuel Dickerson, stood two
| little girls in plad silk dresses, with broad
trimmed bonnets, and plaid ribbons cor
responding with the dresses which they
wore. Each held boquet, and the man
wreath. AS heard his voice, looked
over the whole place, to assure myself,
and saw by his gestures aud moving lips
that it was this negro of the purest AZ
| rican blood who was saying to William
Lloyd Garrison, who had just assembled
the stand beside me, 'RThe emotions with
which | beheld you, honored sir, are in
expressible !" and, having begun thus, he
went on with speech in foging senten-
ces that would stamp him as an ooator in
any assemblage. In the course of his
address, he said :-For now more than
ten years, sir, it has been my privilege,
at distant intervals, to bo encouraged by
| readiag your good words in behalf of my
oppressed race. To you and the good
people of the North, under the Constitu-
tion of the United States, and the gui-
dance OF Abraham Lincoln, owe these
dear children. First, theis mother was
taken then the elder one was snatched
away; and on my knees pleaded that
this little one might be left to me as a
souvenir of the past. What was the re-
ply that I received? "Urge me no far
ther, or l will apsttsg your children to
different States"
/ Somehow that man had learned 10
read, he had stolen that knowledge and
among many others I heard the same sto-
ry. One would say, "Why, my young
mistress taught me-" Another would
tell me, ~ was on plantation on SAo
island, and master had me taught so that
might keep the little accounts" Thus
here and there, benevolence or selfshness
had prompted some of the people of the
South to violate ihe law which made it
felony to teach negro to read. There
fore, while / urge that constitutions and
laws are not the sole safeguards, or, in
themselves, safeguards of liberty and
rights, | also urge that they cannot be
made the means of repressing the geui-
us, the intellect, the aspirations of mass
of human beings cloud applause.)
| What, then, my friends, are the safe
guards ofwhichI | have promised to speak?
Arc they possible? Oh, yes they are
the simplest thing in the world. They
are popular sentiment and daily usage.
Where popular sentiment is right, the
laws will be just and equal, and viii be
maintained and enforced ; and where pop
| rlar usages are consistent with humanity
and justice, there will be small business
for the lawyer, for usage will enforce tho
law.
] / think hear some one say, '.Oh, you
have nigger on the brain, and now you
are begiRning to plead for nigger" God
forbid that l should forget the existance
Of nearly five millions of human beings,
beings who know every sorEoB that
knoV and every joy that l may feel, and
who look through the same narrow way
to enduring happiness. Thank God
| do not forget their existance, and I do
not fail to plead for them. But, my white