The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-02-06
INDEPENDENT COURSE OF LECTURES
Major General Howard on the Freedmen.

The Tenth and last lecture of this course
was given last evening by that gallant and hon
ored Soldier of Maine, Major General How
ard. The audience was large, and the address
was listened to with the closest interest and
attention. Shaw's Quartetie was in attend
ance, and sang several pleasing pieces, the first
of which was arranged to convey "welcome
home' to the distinguished speaker. Ex-Gov'
Washburn, in few brief but graceful and APP
propriate remarks, introduced the General,
who was received with enthusiastic and re-
peated rounds of applause. In commencing
his address he alluded feelingly to the welcome
he had received, as afording happiness dear
er to him as soldier of Maine than almost
any other which could be bestowed. He spoke
for nearly an hour and half, interrupted by
frequent demonstrations OF applause and SYM
pathy on the part of the audience. -ll-
The General said the problem before us is
one OF universal and transcendent interest,"
That problem is what disposition shall be
made of the emancipated classes of the South.
The question is beset with difficulties Three
or four millions of slaves are emancipated, in
the midst of a people who heartily disbelieve
in liberty, who are entirely filled with preju-
dice and resentment, and who are often apt to
glory in the apparent chaos that follows, nat
urally, the death of slavery. They hated lib
erty; they raised armies against it; they
fought with desperation; but they were con-
quered, and it is not likely that they will be
taught in day to love what they hated. No,
the contrary is true. The Southern man
lets 60 of slavery inch by inch piece by piece
He says, eve give it up" but he really does not
do so; and do not think, as general rule,
that he will, until constrained to it by the
power of freedom ITSELF you want evidence
of this, look at the systems they are proposing
in various quarters. Every plan has in it the
very gist of slavery; compulsory labor is
stamped upon it. The whole thought seems to
be, Show can we white men maintain our au-
thority over these black men? How can
we keep them from renting and owning
land, from bringing suits and giving testimony
in the Courts against US, from rising in the So
cial scale; how prevent their individuality
from cropping cut how prevent their holding
from having voice in making and executing
the laws" do not say that there is unan-
unity on all these points; but the great BODY
of the Southern white people are to-day avow
edly as 1 have described. 1 do not say that to
hurt them; do not say it to ALLEVIATE you
from them; but because believe it to be a
truth which must be taken into account in
every measure we may adopt to secure to Us
the fruits of our great revolution. z...
And on the other hand he felt con-
strained to say there is large class at the
North, brought up under influences diametri-
cally opposite to those which have formed the
Southern mind, who reason that because sla-
very is crime therefore all shareholders are
conscious criminals, and that no kindness or
sympathy should be shown them. This class are
either partially informed, or they are encrust-
ed with prejudice quite as real as that exbib-
tied by the Southern people. 1t not to he sun-
posed that a large body of the latter arc not
truly sincere. On the contrary, strange as II
may seem to us, they heartily dsbelieve. nom
in freedom for the negro; they even noao look
upon emancipation as curse of God sent up-
on them. True, there Is a class of people at
the South quite different from the main body
"a class who have been accustomed to read
aud think more like the reading and thinking
men elsewhere. These readily admit the ne
cessity of educating the common people, black
and white.
There is another class of men of high
culture whose minds are at present undergo
ing change. One of them said to me recent
ly, II am surprised myself at the wonderful