Nebraska advertiser., 1873-04-24
Frederick Douglass.

I the page Of American history, is now
far on in life. He stands six feet or
more. bFoad-shOuldered and well
formed his face pale-yellOw, and
MS features striking in every part;
/ his hair, still thick and bushy, Is
blauched by the frosts OF time and
I toll.
This man has come up from the
/ lowest depths. He was born a slave
on one of the plantations OF Mary
/ land. His mother was a MandlngO-
! = proud race with European features
/ wavy hair. erect and stately forms,
/ instinct with intelligence and sensi-
! bility. vigorous and brave. His faith
eFwas white man, whom he never
( knew. In this nameiess howell this
child of their intercourse first saw
/ the light, and there, heTded with
hundreds Of Others rs abject as him
! self he passed the first year OF his
/ life. Torn from his mother as soon
as he was born, she neversaw him
! half dozen times. She was worked
on field twelve miles away. She
/ could only visit him at night-walk-
! ing this distance TO hold him in her
arms foran hour, and then walking
/ back to begin her morning task At
/ four O'Clock. Aud yet she did this
more than once, though she had moth
| ing TO bring him but her love. She
could furnish neither rsiment, nor
I food, nor bed 4: she could not even
mend or wash the little tow shirt
which WAS his only garment.
In brief space she ceased TO come
at all-she was broken and dying
l. 1 p. Ill
The boy grew on. He saw the
pains Of slavery on every hand. In
telligent and thoughtful, he began |
TO revolve the bitter question, schy
am Ia Stare? When ten years old, /
he was sent 10 Baltimore 10 be a house .
servant with Mrs. Sophia Aud. This /
kind hearted woman began 10 teach (
him his letters. He made rapid pro (
gress, and she was proud of her charge. /
She was going 10 make him prOti-
cient, at least, in reading The Bible. /
The husband found Il OUt and imme-
diately interpOsed. But the Boy had
tasted enough to create desires that
nothing could repress. With spell
ing book in his bosom, he pursued
his studies, At length he made mon
ey enough to purchase -"Columbian
Orator. In this volume he found
"the fan8ticism of liberty" Here
was the immortal language of the
Declaration Of our Independence;
here was one OF the mastery speeches
Of Sheridan. He could resist it no
longer. He ran array! ! The story
of his escape has been recently and
freshly told. He came 10 New Bed
ford. on Buzzards' Bay, in Old Mas
sachusetts. The air was ful of liber-
ty. and he exGlted. He found work
and kept his own wages. He
sawed wood, dug cellars. shoveled
coal, rolled Oil-casks Oh the wharves -
he worked I'm candle works and brass
foundries." and was living in a new
world. He began TO hear Of Garrison.
and subscribed for the "Liberator.
He read what books he could resch
among them SCOTS Lady Of the
Lake" Charmed in the character Of
the noble maid, he east away the
name OF his former bondage and
called himself Frederick
Douglass name whose renown
will long linger among men.
Ii was here that he married and be-
gan T. plant a family of his own He
mingled with the colored people that
had gathered under the northern
stars. He venturei 10 speak in their
meetings, and the fire OF his elOquence
kind!ei 10 flame. In lS4l a great
convention assembled at Nantucket:
Douglass appeared and addressed the
thrOng. From that time his course
was upwards. He was Immediately
as an agent of the Ameri-
can Anti-Slavery Society, and thus
his long career as the champion Of
freedom for his race began. Though
in daUger Of -ecapture, he lectUred
everywhere in the North He went
to England. where his course was an
ovation. There he found friends who
gave the funds el50J TO purchase the
bond OF his liberty. Returning 10
he settled in Rochester.
Western New York, and established
his paper, (which became POlcer
in the cause TO which he had devo-
ted his life.
he saw the rising storm OF civil
war, which the madness Of slavery
finally brought on. He heard the
first thundeTs Of that awful tempest.
and sent two Of his sons into the {
strife, who bore themselves bravely Z
till the day was won.
He was the personal friend Of Lin
'on and when Johnson succeeded 10
he White House, Douglass came 70 :
plead with him fOT those civil rights ;
Df the black men which were still q
withheld. His speech on that occa-
ion will live in the story Ofthose days. I
As he and hi. associates turned away :
le said, Mr.. President. we well take I
'ur appeal 10 the people" II was a J
loble answer 70 the -ophism with I
which the delegation had been I
nocked. IL was in the winter Of 1865 :
Douglass remained in the city. and q
vas invited 20 deliver hi- famous lect- q
Ire on the ASSASSINATION Of Pre-i ;
lent Lincoln" He stood on the =
platform Of the old irst PRESBYTERIAN
-hurch, then the only place in the a
ity where he could speak unmn- {
ested, and swayed the vast and q
Fowded audience with Web-terian q
,ower. The only alIusiOu to the :
curse Of President Johnson which t'
scaped him was a climax of one Of II
lis mastery passages. which thrilled e
very heart when he said, Had Mr.. al
lincoln lived he would have been Il
he friend and counsellor Of the black b
nan. he would not have begun by ,
laying the role of Moses and .nded Oi
y playing the role of Pharoah."
Mr.. Douglass was subsequently, de-
ignated to accom- psny the famous
ommlsSlon 10 SantO Domingo at the
Instance of President Grant. and ~
ihen he returned he added the u
TeIght Of his great influence To the :,
leWs OF the commissioners. and in :.
uppOrt of the patriotic sentiments II
nj efforts OF the Administration. ia
ne stands today among his people. -
nj among all Americans. one of the st
oremost men. In the new arrange III
lents for the Presidential term be- =,
)re us he deserves some recognition vi
with his great abilities
nd his distinguished labors.