The Portland daily press., 1866-11-17
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAN ND.
Saturday Morning, November IL 1866
Are Negroes Men Z

Are Negroes Men,.
A great and still increasing majority OF Tue
American people have oatgrown the question:
whether negroes are men. The curious p"s
siological treatises, historical essays anu i'i"A
cal arguments which not very long ago meio"
vital norton of American literature, nave
fallen quite dead in this new epocn' Ahe
iury has rendered its verdict, anu tle iaooieo
a arguments of learned counsel, having served
their n1rpose have been swept out, so much
waste paper for the universal dust heap. Man
is a fighting animal, and from the moment
when it was discovered that negroes would
fight, it was settled that their rights are enti-
tied to at least the degree of respect proper
tional to their fighting power.
Peace has her victories, no less renowned
than war. Physical force is the lowest mani
festation OF manhood. Robert Snail, Fred
erick Douglass, Toussaint L'Ouyerture are
still exceptional names in the history o. tIe
negro race. The few colored men VINO nave
gained admission to our Northern coiieSSes
have not especially distinguished themselves
We hear of a black Professor Blydeh, from
Liberia pursuing his Syriac studio at Deifot'
hit rbe muestion whether the race is capable
OF high culture, is not yet satisfactorily set
tied. These instances OF partial success are
too few to justify broad induction.
1t has been generally forgotten that in 1892,
Richard Humphreys, member of the Socie-
ty of Friends in Philadelphia, preparing ior
his death and rightly regarding this question
of the intellectual and moral capacity of the
black race, as one of the most important to be
settled ON this continent, devised $4,000 in
trust " to instruct descendants Of the African
race in school learning, in the various branch
es of the mechanic arts and trade, and in ag-
riculture, in order to prepare and qualify
them to act as teachers III those branches OF
useful business" The bequest, planted in the
good soil of Philadelphia, haa grown and
blossomed and borne abundant fruit. In Ship
zen street, there stands now a coloied High
School, or as it il sometimes called, III COM
pliance with that rage tor stilted titles which
is the besetting sin OF our countrymen, the
Philadelphia Institute for Colored Youth"
This school is managed and instructed ny col
ored teachers, male and female, and provides
for the education OF boys and giils in the Lat
in and Greek classics, in mathematics, history,
geography and composition. During the last
session it had 191 pupils, and recent visitor
declares that it is in every respect equal to
the best endowed academies of Massachusetts
and New Hampshire
This is saying good deal, but lei us con-
slider the details. 1t is said first, that these
colored boys and girls are as sel-respectiul, as
well hammered and as well dressed as the
same number of school children in New Eng
land. Secondly, that they we've closely exam
med at the close of the last session, in Keno
phon's Anabasis and the Greek Testament, in
Virgi's Hneid, Cicero's orations and Horace's
odes, in plain and spherical trigonometry, Lee
gendre's geometry, algebra, mental arithme-
tic, English analysis, history and geography.
The range of studies is precisely what we
ind in our best schools. The ages of the
children ranged from IL TO 10 years. The ex-
animation showed that they were tho
merely recollections. The reason had been
successfully developed. They understood the
ground over which they had travelled. They
had received ffom colored teachers as good
an education as our best schools give white
children preparatory to entering college
Thirdly, compositions were read and original
decamations delivered upon such themes as
"The Essential Feature of Republic"
"Music as an Element OF Worship '.The Ed
ucaTTUH Ur wUnTcn, ne Age o. I circles"
"The American CONGRESS" s'The Province of
Poetry" individual Effort 'The New
Rome,' The Two C@sars' These perform
ances are said to have been marked with
thought, well written, full Of generous feeling
and pure morality. In fine, there was moth
ing in the exercises from bes,inuin. To endg
nothing in the appearance Of the pupils, ex-
cept i'll color and feature, which would have
reminded visitor that he was nor in New
England school-room.
This experiment may well be taken as de-
cisive. Nearly two hundred youth OF African
descent, subjected to the training furnished
to white children, display results p1act .caly
indstinguishable. 1t is education therefore
which the blacks need. The proven capacity
of the negro race Tor high culture Of course
greatly strengthens the position Of the Re-
publican party. There is no excuse for with
holding the ballot from people who are capa-
bic of even a moderate degree OF education
Let them have an equal chance. Let us have
no more OF the cowardly talk OF white
mans government This is the PEOPLES
government, and a white man, who with
equal opportunities cannot hold his own
against negro, has no right to call upon The
laws to help him