Semi-weekly Louisianian. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1871-1872, 1871-09-24
THE ROMANCE OF THE NE
GRO.

Mr.. Pollard thinks, and says very
properly that since the experiment
of freedom to the negro has been
tried in the United States, and even
under all the obstacles and disad-
vantages which the newly en-
franchised has labored under, he
has in hundreds of instances fully
demonstrated the utter falseness of
the theories of his unftness for
freedom and self control, built up
and strenuously urged against him
while he was forcibly held in SER
vitude, it was time for the South to
acknowledge the fallacy Of its theo-
ries and the unjustness OF its treat
ment of the negro and of his friends
and advocates in the North. Says
Mr.. Pollard, "there is nothing more
remarkable Of the present disposition
of the negro than the kindness Of his
reference to his former condition OF
slavery, and the utter absence of any
disposition to retaliate upon his former
taskmasters and to exact revenge for
the past. The negro is seldom heard
referring With any bitterness to his
antecedent experiences as slave on
the contrary, the colored speaker has
frequently a pleasant Renaissance to
tell of this former part of his history.
An explanation of this temper is pos
sibly to be found in some dim, imper-
feet consciousness of the negro that
slavery was not without benefits to
him in the past, and may have done a
providential part in making HIM what
he is to-day hopeful experiment of
civilization. The Northern politician
who insists that the negro is already
capable of discharging the full offices
of citizenship and suffrage logically
implies tribute to the beneficence OF
| slavery even greater than many OF its
most Jealous Southern advocates ever
claimed for it. The negro himself
seems to have sense of this logical
necessity in his case, and is not near
SO busy in reproaches of his former
subsection as u slave as some of his
would-be Nor hern friends are for him.
The proposition that underlies these
phenomena, and that will explain
them, is this: Slavery may have done
providential part, now but dimly
perceived and imperfectly acknow-
lodged, in educating the negro to that
point whence he was likely to advance
rather than to retrograde and fall
back into comparative bafbasism las
was the case in the experiment Of
West Indian emancipation, which may
have been failure on account of the
short or imperfect apprenticeship OF
the negro there as slave y and,
having in the South thus educated the
4 frican to safe point, to the full con-
dition of ripeness for freedom, 1t may
be that the slavery of the South. its
mission performed, was removed by
act of God, i'll the same manner OF
providence in which we see in history
many institutions overthrcwn which
were at first aids in the cause OF
human progress, and afterward came
to he stumbling-blocks and expressions
rs that progress evergreen its early ne
cessities and demanded new and larger
opportunities. Here is a most happy
ground of accommodation for the two
parties that have long been engaged
in discussing the deserts of negro
slavery in the South. We may ac-
knowledge an Indebtedness to it in the
past, and at the same time allow that
its abolition was timely and fortunate,
as that of harsh school that had
done its work and could have existed
no longer but as superiority and in
Justice Let the Northern man on his
side confess that slavery did improve
the negro in the past, and has made
him presently capable of civilization ),
and let the Southern man, with equal
candor and generosity on his side,
admit that the negro since released
from slavery has continued to improve,
and has shown that he deserved his
freedom and is able to use it with dis
cretion and to increase. The negro
himself Joins in his own person to-day
both arguments; and testities to each
his past Indebtedness to slavery and
his present worthiness of freedom !;
the two facts perfectly recOncilable,
and the slavery question accommodate
ed at once, swept forever, rs this
writer fervently prays and hopes, from
the arena of discussion"
The writer then proceeds to draw
attention to the remarkable fact
that all experience of the negro,
since emancipation, has been pro-
gress. "The negro moves" he says,
significantly. His thirst after
knowledge-his eagerness for edu-
cation-his industry, which bears
favorable comparison with other
poor classes-the absence of general
intemperance, (which has been the
usual scourge of weak races, and
the almost unfailing incident OF a
precOcious civilization, is compare
lively unknown among the Southern
freedmen" his economy, as attested
by the freedmen's banks of the
country, and by the provision of
home comforts which so many men
procure out of scanty wages, all
combine to furnish irrefragable tes-
timony in favor of the Justice and