The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-08-15

ly rushing as cataract of fire.
WHAT Is WHITE A Man Tile Su-.
prcme Court of Michigan has worried
Itself very much Of late in attempting to
discover what is white man 4 simtle
mlnd, unaccus.omed to subtle distinctions,
would find NJ officially in deciding, but
woul say that white man is man who
IS white But such stupidity must arouse
The disgust OF every profounl philosopher.
1t has been clearly established by the laws
ot every Southern State, and several
Northern States, including Michigan, that
"A man may be Il white man and at the
same time he black man. EVERYTHING
depends upon the cartilage of the nose.
y certain pecuIllrity of the nose," SAYS
the scientific testimony taken before tn,
Circuit Court of Wayne County. is IN
inallible indication of African blood"
lhls Is truly an appalling fact, and may
lead to the ainputatiun of large number
OF no'ce--fur ii ii uan is only niger bv
reason OF that organ, let him cut it oft,
AMI instantly he rises in the scale OF races.
with his nose. no matter how handsom,
1t Is, he is born inferior dcsiihel to
lOlIoW his nose upon Il down ward career.
Without his nose such man may din,
with the President. Let every mar then.
look TO his cartilage; for we greatly fear
that black men with pretended white noses
are common. The hair proves n lthing-
50 the scientific authority has established
Tor black man may, even without Il
VIZ, have white mans hair Wool or
hair, the mulatto may have either, but cam
not have both. BESIDES, he may be bald.
and then what becomes of the test Tn Ter
these circumstances, all persons with
hooked probosclses may be suspected of a
sinister design to conceal their caItilape:
but the candid snub-noSe which is always
turned up for the inspection of the world,
m9-t at Cnce remove suspicion. When
ever the reader has any doubt that an
W4dre"ty white man may really be ne
gro IN disguise, he has only TO approach
the person and, with "A polite apology. ex-
anime with his fingers the cartilage OF his
nose. According to the appearance of
the cartilage he may then tilher bow. AMI
say, - am satisfied, my dear sir, yon ar,
not negro : or " Leave me, vile impos-
tor; with that cartilage do you dare to
pretend TO be white!
Such an examination was actually
made in Michigan before the Circuit
Court referred 10. An unfortunate nun
named Dean, being entirely ignorant that
he was negro, attempted to vote at "A
local election, and was arrested for viola
lion OF the laws. lie brought numerous
witnesses who testified that they had
known him AM his family for many
years, and to the best of their knowledge
there was not drop of negro bl1od in
his body But this awaited him not. An
uncertain DR. Pitcher examined his nose
before the couri AMI from the conforma-
zion of his cartilage alone he was pro-
nonnced to be but fifteen siNteenths of "a
white man, the remaining sixteenth being
pure African. The detrndcnt appealed
TO the Supreme Court, and that intelligent
body sustained the nose. and the man,
we believe was punished for voting con-
trary 10 Law. ChielJusice Martin, who
dlsscntel from the decision, has furnished
an opinion which will shock the cummu-
nifty. He contends that prepondcrance
OF white blood constitutes the man white,
and actually scorns the idea that by any
authority of law, or principal OF reason,
one-siXteenlh or one thirty-second of Az
rican blood can exclude Il white man
from citizenship.
This wild and frantic argument will
only excite deri'ion. 1t carefully ignores
the'existence of the nasal cartilage, though
the Judge afterward admits everything,
bu; his ronical suggestion that nose-pull-
ers should he appointed by the Govern
ment to attend the polls, and snub al
noses which cannot prove clean record.
In the meanwhile general feeling of
must pervade the community.
Those who have rccSlcssly failed to get
certificate in favor Of their cartilage may
at any moment meet the fate OF William
Dean. The whiIest of white men may
be changed into negro, motlphoricaly,
n the tvinkhng of an eve, but i:erally in