The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-10-19
The Ouesti I'm of Caate.

~AANSA
delivered lecture to an audience in City Hall
last night which, while it embraced large
proportion of the educated and leading minds
Of the community, might have been consdera.
bly, increased without taxing the capacity of the
hall. 1t was very lengthy production re-
quiring an hour and half in its delivery.
Previous to thele cture, the Portland Band dis
coursed excellent music for an hour
Mr.. Sumner commenced by saying that the
subject was of immense importance in its re-
lations to the United States and the nineteenth
century. That the spirit shown in shutting
out certain men on account of the tinge of
their skin, from an equality Of par
ticipation 10 the worlds great achievements,
was inconsistent with the spirit which govern
ed our forefathers and with the divine law
that the human family have common destiny
on earth. 1--WE continue in the words of the
able report of the Boston Advertiser ''But
not forgetting these facts, his purpose now was
to show that it was at variance with the great
truth OF the unity of the human family and of
the final union of the races of men on earth.
In the:statement of this truth he saw both
commandment and promise, both duties and
nicious doctrine that privilege is dependant
upon any Interchangeable physical trait, and the
other confident that the immutable truth to
which this doctrine is opposed will finally pre-
vail. The speaker said that there were two
chief impedments in the way of the general
acceptance of the doctrine of justice and Chris
tianity on this point: one, the prejudice of
color; the other, lack of faith in the future.
The rights of mankind, Mr.. Sumner said, he
placed upon the golden rule; and he then pro-
ceeded to demonstrate that the rotion of caste
is repugnant, first, to the idea of republic:
and second, to human nature itself.
The speaker entered into learned and elab-
crate discussion of the caste idea and of its
history, dwelling with special minuteness upon
the caste system Of India, from which the word
itself is derived, and passing thence to our own
country, where, he said, there was a caste of
privilege founded upon the color white, and q
caste of disgrace founded upon the color black
or yellow. Mr. Sumner took up the argu-
ments which are used in defence of this odious
system of distinction and refuted them, first
from the Word of God, and secondly, from the
teachings of science. From the Scriptures he
quoted the language of the Book of Genesis
beginning: $50 God created man in his own
image and from the New Testament he cited
the words of st. Paul in his Grafton on Mars
Hill, that "God hath made of one blood all ma
tions of men," The truths of science were also
declared to be in harmony with the same
teaching; for they did not fairly sustain the
belief in diverse origin of the races; and even
if such diversity could be shown, it would not
impair the great fact that men were of one
cosmopolitan species, united by the common
attributes of speech, reason and conscience,
and by the same hope of immortality. In all
the real essentials, physical, moral and pro-
phetic, which made man, there was a unity /;
there were the same sensibilties the same
hopes, the same propensities, and the same fac
ulties, modified only by different forms and de-
grees of civilization. Passing to the applica-
ton of his argument, the distinguished speaker
depicted in vivid colors the dangers which the
idea of caste was bringing upon our country
and our government, and he closed with words
of solemn warning and caution, mingled with
hope and conviction that the saving truth
would prevail"
Mr.. Sumner was listened to with close at.
tention from beginning to end A very Sc
we're attack of hoarseness rendered his voice at
times very indistinct, and it was with grea
difficulty he could be understood. While We
would admit Mr.. Summers rare scholarship
we hardly think he is SO we'll adapted for the
lecture room as many others who have gained
less fame than the Senator from Massachu
sets.