Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1867-06-13
The Fafe of fhe .scgro.

Mrs. Baker, all the late African ex-
plorers. to the barbarous nature of
the negro race in their native country.
tits all to the same effect. They have
no expectation Of elevating the negro
in the scale of civilization. Their bias
toward a lower, indeed, the lowest
phase of life, is constant and consti-
tutional. They have made no ad-
vance; they never will make any.
1t is not worth while to accept the
premises of prophesies of the Aboli-
tionists about what they do not un-
derstand.
We subjoin an extract Of a lecture
at Cooper Institute, by the famous
Du Chaillu, 10 clinch the matter:
"During all my travels have tried
in vain to find ruins or remains of
buildings to show that the negro was
formerly more elevated than he is
now. Travellers in other parts of Af-
rica have not been more successful, so
we must conclude that the negroes
are in the same state as they were in
ages that are past. The question ma
turally occurs to every one, how such
a state of political disintegration as
the one | have described 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
erned us have prevailed in Africa. As
among ourselves, the migration has
prevailed from the East toward the
West, so / never found a tribe or a
village pointing toward the West as
the place they came from. ! should
recommend to every traveller to note
down words, so that we may see the
links which the languages will show.
found few words from the East smi-
lar to those Of the West The popu-
lation Of Africa has never been so
dense as to fill up this immense tract of
country-tribes scattered, migrated
in every direction, and were lost TO
each other in the great forest; others
followed and came between without
knowing it, until gradually the coun-
try became more peopled, 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 accounts of such
travellers as Burton, Livingstone, Grant
Speke and Baker, we learn that most
OF the Chiefs are cruel, having the
right to put TO death their subjects at
will. Villages are continually sacked
by the stronger, and the people car
ried into slavery; and if there is no
slavery, the people commit raids, burn
villages, massacre the inhabitants, and
then plunder their cattle. In many
countries they do both plunder the
cattle and carry the people into sla-
very.
an the country l have explored
no village is large enough, no clar
powerful enough, to do so. have
been much surprised to note thesteady
decrease of the population and first
let me raise my voice in defense OF Tho
white man. lie is accused Of being
the cause of it-wherever be settles
the aborigincs are said to disappear
| admit that such is the case, but
aver that the decrease of the popnla
ton had already taken place before
tho white man came; and the Whit
man, in coming, notices it, but canno
stop it, Populous villages and tribe
! saw for second time had dwindleC
down. There the white man had no
penetrated. Clans which were com
posed of many people within tn
memory of man had dwindled dow
to nothing; some had disappeared
and others had only few people left
am not the only one who has notices
this decrcase-other travellers hav
noticed the same Whatever may b'
our sympathy-primitive man, or ra
ther the least gifted tribes of man
kind, must disappear before the highe
intellect. This is not a theory, but
fact. There are many causes to &C
count for the decrease of the negro
| think everything tends TO show tha
the negro is of great antiquity, an
has remained stationary. The work
ing of iron, considering the very prim
tive way they work il, and how easil
they find it, must have been known {
them from the remotest time, and I
them the age of stone and bronze mus
have been unknown. As to his futur
capabilities, | think extreme view
have prevailed among us. Some hol'
the opinion that the negro will nevo
rise higher than he is others thin
that he is capable Of reaching th
highest state Of civiization--in fact
that he will become white man. Fc
my own part, l do not agree wit
either of these opinions. lbelieve th
negro may become more useful men
ber of mankind than he is at present
that he can be raised to a higher star
dard, but that if left to himself he wi
soon fall back into barbarismj W
have no example to the contrary
Though a people may be taught tn
arts and sciences known by NOR
gifted nations, unless they have th
power Of progression in themselve
they must inevitably relapse, in tl
course of time, into their former stat
OF all the unoivilized races of mel
the negro has been found to be mo-
tractable and the most docile, and j
, possesses excellent qualities that con
, pensate n great deal for his bad one
|, We ought, therefore, to be kind |
him, and try to elevate him. That
will, in the course of time, follow u
lower races of men and disappear,
? have hut little doubt - Ercbdn0c