The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-05-29
THE NEGRO.

Oss u AtA ~ "A - 4'A S-AeA AA Y ~
THE NEGRO.
HIS CHARACTER AND NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Of
AN ENGLISH TRAVELLER N AFRICA.
From e volume recently published by Sam
uel White Baker, entitled, "Great Basin O
the Nile, and Exploration OF the Nile Sour
ces," we make the following extract. Mr.. Ba
ker is an Englishman, and having enjoyed sucl
abundant opportunity during his travels il
Africa of forming an opinion, his impartial es
innate deserves to be weighed:
The black man Is curious anomaly, th'
good and bad points of human nature bursting
forth without any arrangement, Ike the flow
ers and thorns of hie own wilderness. crea
ture of impulse, seldom actuated by reflection
the black man astounds by his complete OBJ
tuseness, and as suddenly confounds you b,
an unexpected exhibition Of sympathy. From
q long experience with African saSages, %hlnl
it is as absurd to condemn the negro a, t0lO, al
it is preposterous to compare hls 1ntellectua
capacity with that Of the white man. 1t is un
fortunately the fashion for one party to uphold
the negro as superior being, while the othel
denies him the common powers Of reason. 81
great difference Of opinion has ever existec
upon the intrinsic value Of the negro, that the
very perplexity Of the question is aproof tina
he is altogether distinct variety. So long at
it is generally considered that the negro ant
the white man are TO be governed by the same
laws and guided by the same management; 81
long will the former remain thorn in the side
of every community to which he may unhap
pily belong. When the horse aud the ass shal
be found to match in double harness, the white
man and the African black will pull together
under the same regime. 1t is the grand error
Of equaliziDg that which is unequal, that has
lowered the negro character, and made the
55iiaek man reprosch. - - z.
In the great system OF creation that divided
races anG subdivided them according to mys.
terious laws, apportioning special qualities te
each, the varieties of the human race exhibit
certain characters and qualifications which
adapt them for specific localities. The natura
character of those races will net alter with o
change Of locality, but the instincts of each
race will be developed in any country where
they may be located. Thus the English are as
English in Australia, India and America as they
are in England, and in every locality they e1.
hibit the industry and energy OF their native
land even 30 the African will remain negro ir
all his native instincts. although transplanted
to other soils; and those natural instincts be.
ing q lOV6 VI lul6u0ob huu 6dTpHOuOuu, uo WILL
assuredly relapse into an idle and savage state
unless specially governed and forced to indus.
try.
The history Of the negi has proved the cor.
rectness of this theory. In no instance hos
he evinced other than o retrogression, when
once freed from restraint Like ahorse with.
out harness, he rurs wild; but-ifshe be har.
messed, no animal IS more useful. Unfortu.
nately, this is contrary to public opinion in
right Of dlctation upon matters and men
in which it has had no experience. The Eng.
Ish insist upon their own. weights and mea.
sures as the scales for human excellence; and
it has been decreed by the multitude, inexpe-
rienced in the negro personally, that he has
been badly treated brother; that he is 8
worthy member of the human family, ,placed
in an. inferior position through.the prejudice
and ignorance of the white man, with whom he
should be upon equality.
: The negro has been, and still is, thorough
" misunderstood. However severely we may
condemn the horrible system OF slavery, the
negro does not appreciate the blessings OF
freedom, nor does he show the Slightest feel
ing of gratitude to the hand that broke the
rivets of his fetters. His narrow mind cannot
embrace that feeling in pure philan$M $Mopy that
first prompted England to2adeclro ;heraeb
against slavery, and he only regards the anti.
slavery movement as proof Of his own i'm
portance In his limited horizon, he is him.
self the important object, and as sequence
to his self-conceit, he imaSines the whole
world is at issue concerning the black man.
question must be an important person, and ne
conducts himself accordingly--ho is far too
great man to work. Upon this point his nat
ural character exhibits itself most determined
Iy. Accordingly, he resists any attempt al
coercion; being free, his first impulse is tc
claim m equality with those whom he lately
served, and to usurp dignity with absurd
pretensions, that must inevitably insure the
disgust of the white community. I'll will is
thus engendered, hatred aad jealousy. .estab.
lished between the two races, combined with
the errors that in such condition must arise
upon both sides. The 6nal question remains
Why was the negro first introduced into oul
colonies to America
The sun is the great arbitrator between the
white and the black man. There are produc'
tions necessary to civilized countries, that can
alone be cultivated in tropical climates, where
the white man cannot live if exposed to labor
in the sun. Thus, such fertile countries as tht
West Indies and portions Of America being
without native population, the negro was
originally imported as q slave, to fulfil thu
conditions Of q laborer. In his own countr,
he was wild savage and enslaved his brother
man, he thus became victim to his own sys
tenn; to the institution of slavery that is indi
genous to the soil Of Africa, and that has no
been taught to the African by the whit, man
as is currently reported, but that has evel
been the peculiar characteristic OF African
tribes.
In his state of slavery, the negro was com
PEELED to work, and through his labor ever,
country prospered where he had been intro
duced. he was suddenly feed; and from tina
moment he refused to work, and, instead oi
being useful member Of society, he not only
became q useless burden to the community,
but plotter and intriguer, imbued with
deadly hatred to the white man who had gene
rously declared him free.
Now, as the negro was originally imported
as laborer, but now refuses to labor, 1t Is self
evident that he is lamentable failure. Either
he must be compelled to work, 6y some strin
gent law against vagrancy, or those beantlfu
countries that prospered under the conditions
of negro forced industry must yield to ruin
under negro freedom and idle independence
For an example OF the result, look at St. Do
1nineol
Under peculiar guidance, and subject to
certain restraint, the negro may be an lmpor
tant and most useful being; but If treated as al
Englishman, he will affect the vices Tut nom
of the virtues of civilization, and his natura
good qualities will be lost in his attempt to be
come "white man."
ARRIVAL OF IMnnaRANTs AT NEWBERRY.-
The Newberry Herald of Wednesday last con
tains the following highly gratifying state
ment:
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