The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1867-07-04
The Fate of the negro.


Mrs. Baker all the late African ex-
plorers, 10 the barbarous nature of the
negro race in their native country. It
is all to the same effect They have
no expectation Of elcsating the negro
IN the scale Of civilization. Their bias
toward lower, indeed, the lowest phase
of life, is constant and constitutional.
They have made no advance; they Dever
will make any. Ii is not worth while
to accept the premises of prophesies of
the Aboltionists about what they do
not understand.
We subioin an extraet of a lecture
at Cooper institute, by the famous Du
Chailu to elineh the matter:
"DuriDg all my travels / have tried
in vain to iind ruins or rcmaius Of bull
dings to show that the negro wac form
erly more elevated than he is now
Travellers 10 other parts Of Africa have
not been more successful, so we must
eonclude that the negroes are in the
same state as they were in ages that are
| past. The question naturally occurs to
every one, how such state Of political
disiutegration as the one | have des-
cribcd to you has happened. We must
come to the conclusion that Africa has
not escaped many political commissions,
followed by great wars and migration;
the same migration laws that have gov
crned US have prevailed 10 Africa. As
among ourselves, the migration has
| prevailed from the East toward the
West, so ! never found tribe or
village pointing toward the West as the
place they came from. lshould recon-
mend to every traveller TO note down
words, so that VIC may see the links
which the languages will show, ! found
| few words from the East similar 10
those of the West. The population Of
Africa has never been SO dense as to
GIL up this immense tract of country
tribes scattered, migrated in every d.
rectiop, aud we're lost to each other 10
the great forest; others followed and
came between without knowing il, until
gradually the country become more
pcopled, and then they came in contact
with each other. A very striking fact
is the different state Of society between
the East and the West BY the ac-
counts Of such travellers as Burton, Lily.
ingstone, Grant, Speke and Baker, we
learn that most of the Chiefs are crnel
havin. the right to put TO death their
subjects at will Villages are contin-
vally sacked by the stronger, and the
people carried into slavery; and If there
ia no slavery, the people commit raids
sburn villages, massacre the inhabitagts,
and then plumber their cattle, In many
eountrics they do both pluuder the cat
tie and carry the people into slavery.
"ln the country | have explored, no
village is large enough, no clan power-
ful enough, to DO so. | have been much
surprised to note the steady decrease Of
the population; and FIRST, let me raise
my voice in defense Of the whito man.
/ He is accused Of being the cause Of it
wherever be settles the aborigiues
are said to disappear, ! admit that
such is the ease, but aver that the de-
crease Of the population had already
taken place before the white man came;
and the white man, In coming, notices
| it, but cannot stop ii. Populous villages
and tribes / saw for a second time had
dwindled down. There the white man
bad not penetrated. Claas which were
composed Of mny people within the
memory Of man had dwindled down TO
nothing; some had disappeared, and
Others had only few people left. 4
am not the only one who has noticed
this decroase-other travellers have no-
| ticed the same Whatever may be our
sympathy--primitire mau, or rather the
least gifted tribes Of mankind, must
disappear before the higher intelleet.---
This is not a tsieory, but fact. There
are many causes 10 account for the de-
crease Of the negro. l think every
thing tends 70 show that the negro is
Of great antiquity, and has remained
stationary. The working Of iron, con-
sideriug the very primitive way they
work il, and how easily they find it,
must have been known 10 them from
the remotest time, and to them the age
Of stone aud bronze must have been un.
knowa AS 70 his future capabilities,
1 think extreme views have prevailed
among Us Some hold the cpipion that
1.-THE negro viii never rise higher than
he is e,licrs think that he is capable Of
reaching the highest state Of civiliza.
tion---in fact, that he viii become q
white maa. For my own part, l donot
lagrce with either Of these opinions,
believe the negro may become more
4 useful member Of mankind than he is
at present; that he can be raised 70 q
| higher standard, but that if left to han.
| self he viii sosn fall back iato barbar-
ism; we have no example to the coatra-
lfy Though a eople may be taught the
arts aud SC onces known BY more gifted
nations, unless they have the power ol
progression IN themselves, they must
| inevitably relapse, ID the course of time
into their former state. OF III the IN,
civilized races Of mco, the negro has
been found 10 be most ffxctable and The
most docile, and he possesses excellent
qualities that csmpensafe great deal
for his bad ones. We ou4ht, therefore
| 70 DO Kind to him, aud try 70 citvsts
i him. That hs will ID the course sl
-. /.