The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-10-17

hnanciers, and after all, 1t was only time tnas
settled 1t. Being o new country, with mex
haustble resources at our command, no such
policy Is necessary here, nor have we any idea
that such course will be pursued. Our views,
then, and those Of the Secretary Of the Trea-
sury are, In the main, the same. The efforts TO
restore the country to Its financial equilibrium
must be gradual and natural. not volcanic or
convulsive.
The Most wonderful Development Of tho
Negro Race.
Blind Tom, the negro pianist now perform
ing at Dodworth Hall, Is certainly one Of tho
greatest musical geniuses of this or any other
age. With the utmost ease he plays the most
difficult compositions by ear alone, after hear
Ing them played but once by some other plan
list. His own compositions are far above the
average. Although his other mental faculties
seem to be darkened, his musical sense is 80
acute that no can Immediately distinguish and
name every note in the most complicated dis
cord. To this negro pianoforte prodigy we
call the attention of Henry Ward Beecher,
Horace Greeley, Wendell Phillips and the rest
Of the abolition leaders. He is very splendid
illustration of their arguments in regard to
the intellectual development OF the African
race. Born and reared upon a South
ern plantation, the war has emancipated
him that he may ast0nish the world.
How many more such wonders may there
be among the freedmen of the South? We
have discovered col0red Gottschalk,
negro List, an Ethiopian Thalberg, why
should we not find mulatto Milton, negro
Newton, a slave Sbakspere, freedman Fulton,
an emancipated Ericsson, contraband Column
bus and darky Dcmosthencs? The aboli-
lion editors and parsons ough. 10 be writing
and preaching copiously about Blind Tom. he
is one of the strongest arguments they could
present in favor Of negro suffrage.
But there is another point Of view in which
Blind Tom is exceedingly interesting. In spite
of the verdict against Colchester, at Buffalo,
| and the exposure of the Davenport Brothers at
| Paris, spiritualism still lives, and our friend
Judge Edmonds is its prophet. Let the
spiritualists 60 and take look at the negro
pianist. His ungainly body and his musical
soul consort together so oddly that il appears
almost probable that he is inspired by the
spirit of some defunct musician, who has come
back from the seventh circle Oh Paradise or
elsewhere to show this ungodTy gentration the
music Of the spiritual spheres. Why not claim
Blind Tom, then, as the highest order OF
medium yet developed! HIS music is far
in advance Of that of the Fox Sisters
or the Davenport Brothers. They could
only rattle tambourincs, blow tin trumpe's,
ring dinner bells and twang phosphorescent
i guitars, and they required a dark room and
select circle to accomplish even that. But
Blind Tom comes out on an open platform, in
the full glare Of light, before large audience
the larger The better-and produces the finest
melodies upon the best Instrument that man.
kind has been able to invent. Observe him
when he is not playing and no one would ever
suspect the tremendous musical genius be pos.
sesscs but when he once touches The keys OF
The piano he is like one inspired. Is his in
spiration spiritual, or Is it merely musical
That is a question which Judge Edmonds and
the spiritualists must answer. If Blind Tom be
not accepted by the abolltionists as the most
marvellous development Of the negro race, and
as striking and convincing proof Of the extra.
ordinary capacity Of the emancipatcd slaves
then the spiritualists should take him up and
claim him as a first class musical medium. He
will afford an excellent text for the abolition
parsons, if they take advantage OF his appear
ance among us but if they miss the COLDER
opportunity the spiritual professors will not bt
so foolish as 10 let this amazing phenomenon
pass unnoticed.
Dodwortb Hall is loo small for thu
audiences that crowd in to hear Blind
Tom. Poor Kingslapd, Of the Academy
Of Music, is Boosting that the upper tic
of his ediace--the low-priced portion of TIT
housc-is now filed every opera evening
but If he would engage Blind Tom he wculc
find this American prodigy Of African dcsccn
more attractive than Italian singers, and th,
parquet, the balcony and the boxes OF III,
Academy would then be throDged with fash
ionable people. Poor Stuart, OF The Winter
Garden, might probably withdraw Our Amcri
can Cousin and bring ont our African cousin
Blind Tom. The Joyce Heth in brooches o
the Muscum-whose fat woman is becoming a.
thin as ths living skeleton q account Of thu
bad busiDessa-m'gbt have The credit Of exhibit
ing one genuine curiosity If he could only
secure Blind Tom. Why should poor Wallacl
continue TO persecute the public with stupid
Russian Serf, when here Is an astonishing
American serf. just released from slavery and
sure to draw thousands TO the theatre? Indeed
we may with equal force recommend this
musical wonder TO all the theatrical mana
gers. Except dandy "sam," at the Broadway
Blind Tom is the only novelty among oul
amusemens tAs season: Everybody hes sssV
the Ravel family, who have 40 worn themselves
out with their fip-aaps that there are only two
Of them left TO look at but Blind Tom Is per-
| factlv frocb and Ia az 0noA an q half do1ou mar