Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-12-23

LECTURES IN RUTLAND.-Dr. Wood
house has regularly reported for the
Christian Repository at Montpelier, the
lectures delivered before the Young Mems
Christian Association course in Rutland.
In his excellent report of Fred. Douglass
hs prefaces it with some interesting facts
relative to Mr.. DIS history, which are as
follows.
It was during, think, the third year
of the great Rebellion, that visited the
famous prison grounds of Rock Island,
lying in the Mississippi river, between
Rock Island city in Illinois and Davenport
city, Iowa. On this Island were almost
countless hordes of rebel prisoners. Unlike
our poor boys at Libby and Andersonville,
they occupied one of the most healthy To-
cations in the world, had comfortable
quarters, and good food and plenty Of it.
Sometimes, if any means of employing
them could be devised, they were required
to work. And among the labors these
prisoners performed was that of building
beautiful road from the Island to the
main land, on the Illinois side. As 1
sauntered along this road and saw the
O0Sy PAASOhCAo nv WoAh AOIACCa a. OAo
point, q very large gentleman of color"
dressed in Uncle Sans blue, with mus
ket at rest, standing as a sentinel over
them. A small white prisoner was
trunding wheelbarrow, apparently under
his special direction certainly may say
under his immediate oversight. This
sentinel, said my companion, govern
ment official, "was the former slave of
that prisoner, he is directing and guard
ing!"
"And so, thought t. when l saw Fred.
Douglass-the former slave-the once
chattel--now the eloquent freemsn-
owner of himself-"and so, time and
Gods justice, turn and overtnrn, and
finally make all things even, The mills
of the gods grind slowly, but they do
fine work."
Fred. Douglass is a man who has run
ming in his veins the blood of three ma
tionalities- In color he is nearly as white
as dark complexioned white men in gen.
eral, and probably las not more than cne-
fourth of an African ancestry to honor
in his pedigree. He was born "A slave in
the State of Maryland. Thirty-one years
ago he made his escape to Massachusetts,,
and soon became public lecturer in the
cause of the slave. He soon visited Eng
land and was received with great atten-
ton by the upper classes, and, to remove
all risks of being returned to slavery, his
freedom was purchased by the English
people. Mr.. Douglass TO- -eif-.nada man.
in the fullest sense of the term. He
never went to school day in bis life. He
learned to write sitting on the fence For
sixteen years he edited the North Star,
published in Rochester. New York. Since
the abolition of slavery, he has mostly
busted himself in giving lectures before
the literary associations. Mr.. Douglass
does not know who il father was. but sup
poses his name was Wilkes. II. is now,
he supposes, between 50 and IS years old.
DR.. Woodhonse is evidently pleased
with the tenor OF the Lectures, from the |
note at tho bottom of his report:
We liberals are under great oblig atoms
to the Young Mems Christian Association
for this course of lectures As yet. 30
far IA proper for their utt.rance, the sem
eiments of the lecturers have been reiig-
giOusly liberal. Not one Of them has SO |
much IA treated w to the smell Of or,ho-
doxy even on the hens of their garments
C. w.