Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-09-20
SELF-MADE MEN.
Fred Douglass at the Exposition
EniIsasu~


lecture, we present our readers Q, synopsis
Mr.. Douglass was introduced by Mr.. Nelson
walker in few well-chosen remarks.
Mr.. Douglass said: Ladies and gentlemen,
invite your attention to a well-worn, though l
trust not thread-bare subject. Man, either
in one form or another, with one afhx or prehx
" another, has been fruitful and tayerlte
theme for public disequrses. Under whatever
title--whether great man, man of the worid5
or a representative man, a man ct genius, or
self-made man, the objective and supyeclF9
noint remains the same-"mafl,' MANHOOD.
The saying of the Greek teacher so often re-
peated, "that the proper study OF mankind nan Is
man. is like the Golden rule, it will never
grow old-is a truth for every age, every gene
ration of mankind, and finds an echo In every
heart, because it is felt and thought, ana telt
before 1t Is thought 49,
When we have swept the heavens with our
glasses; when we have gazed upon the mountain
lifting his head against the blue sky and capped
with snow; when we have gazed upon the ian1Jj
scape, pure and beautiful, and covered VIII
peacetul and quiet herds; when we reach great
cities all glowing with life, where are worked out
the great miracles Of science, we find that these
and more than these are onlythe shadowed back
ground of which man is the true and command
ING figure. He is more to us than all the visible
universe-profounder than all depths and loftier
than all heights.
ness. or % much misery as man himself. 1t is
said that we know much of astronomy. we can
calculate the coming OF comet th0usands OF
wears in advance. We know much OF chemistry
and geometry. This century has been sfgna!-
lied 6y vast triumphs in this direction, and It
almost puzzles the mind to keep trace with It's
discoveries. But in regard to man hlmseI
where are we? We have sounded the depths OF
the ocean; we have sent our messages across the
unfathomable depths of the sea; we have con-
verified the world into q whispering gallery; we
have taught the sun to take pictures. The sew
ing machine and the electric wire ali belong 70
our century-but in regard to man as subject
of thought, where are we? VINO has sounded
his depths--who has ascertafned his boundariesH
Who knows of his possibilities? Progressive In bis
own nature he seems 10 defy the power OF pro-
eress to oyertake and explain him. He remains
to-day as thousands of years ago" wonderfully
and fearfully madel' Oil man is great. re-
ioice in the freedom of Tennessee-in the free
dom of the United States; since by the light OF
that freedom we shall be able TO n easure to some
extent the dignity of our common manhood.
Manhood is entitled to respect. Once II was on
the auction block; once 1t had It's hands crossed
as nv hands were crossed. But we are now be-
ginning to COMPREHEND that a man-nO matter
of what complexion, outweighs all visible worlds.
But am not to speak to you Of the past. L
am to speak to you Of the greatest kind OF
men. Let me say to the colored Iaen, woe betide
YOU if YOU are unable to respect your great men
or to discover them If you are unable to regard
them as impOrtanthelps to you, the future has
nothing for you, you will be like ''dumO driven
cattleS Every Kentuckian holds his head high
er, and worthily so, when he thinks OF the
GREAT HARRY OF TIE WEST.
and every Tennesseesn feels his State important
when he thinks of that grand old character
Though often in the wrong Andrew jackson, the
hero of New Orleans. (Applause.) Every Ger
man however much he may differ with him,
feels himself increased when he cOntemplates
himself in the light of the magnificent genius OF
Carl SchurZ. He feels that that brilliant Teuton
is representative of his race; and until the col
ored men can look TO some men of their race with
pride as representing them, they are on the dead
level of servile race and they cannot rise.
am to speak to you tonight of peculiar
tyne of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. men, as they are
called. That there is something like solicism in
the title of this lecture admit; for there is no
such thing as a self-made man. We have all
begged, borrowed, or stolen something at some
time, from somebody. 1t may not jump well
with our confident individuality to say it; yet in
truth it must be said that no possible originality
OF power can lift man into absolute lndepend-
ence of his fellow-men. He who utters the
thought deepest down in the heart of tie crowd,
is the true orator. He gives back to the crowd
that which they themselves had. L tell you 1t is
impossible to speak to any crowd that you can
not respect. 1t is only when men talk to brains
or talk to hearts, that men eau do any talking
that is worth hearing.
/ propose to discuss my subject, self-made
men, under four heads. By self-made men l
mean men who, without the ordinary help of
favorable circumstances have risen in the face
of difficulties and opposition to influence, power,
usefulness and fame in the world The men
who are called successful men are the men who
owe nothing to birth, nothing to relationship,
nothing TO rich aunt, or rich uncle, but who
are what they are, without these helps, by which
men ordinarily rise in the world. We often lind
fruit where there was no dO%ers, and an abund-
ance of flowers where we find no fruit. The
promise of youth frequently breaks down IN
manhood. Life at this point resembles a thou
sand arrows shot from the same standpoint and
aimed at the same obiects-united in aim,
divided in flight. Some fly too high, others too
low; some to the right, others to the left; some
20 too tar, others not far enough. Only the few
70 +Iar nd tbny- frpOUputly- less
by design than by accident The immortal
bard lis US that ''sOme are born great, others
achieve greatness, and others still, have great
ness thrust upon them"
Much can be said of superior mental endow-
ments, as an explanation of self-made men; but
have often met contradiction here as well as
elsewhere. have seen men OF splenuld IacuI-
ties utter failures: and have seen men OF very
ordinary faculties, good successes in life. In
deed there seems to be a constant effort on the
part of nature to preserve balance with the
children OF men, andto protect weakness and
iguorant even. For underlying weakness and
ignorance there may be ga pearl OF great
price,"
Here the speaker digr5 ssed from the subject
matter OF his lecture and gave the colored people
present some excellent advice with regard to
their department as members of society. He
said a good many men at the North asked what
we should do for the negro, now that he IS Tree.
He had invariably answered, edo nothing for
him; give him fair play. II he can live, Wen;
if he can't, well again. But be sure you give
him fair play. If you see him going to school,
give him room Ii he wants to learn trade,
fling open your blacksmith shops, yonr shoe
makers shops, your wagon shops. Let him
learn a trade. If anybody needs trade, 1t is
the man who has nothing but his hands snd his
brain. If you see him on his way TO the Legs
lature, let bin go. Ii you see him on his way to
Congress-as / m-(laughter) let him 60"
He said, when he ran away from slavery, he
could read and write little. he went TO New
Bedford and worked at a brass foundry. The
first thing he did was to take a newspaper, and
he would pin that newspaper to the bellows, and
as he blew the bellows he studied his lesson. He
kept the bellows going and his mind at work at
the same time. The result was, he soon became
a pu5 bic speaker; then he became an editor;
since then he had been member of the Legls-
lature; since then he had been TO San Domingo;
since then he is ready to be sent anywhere IN
thi world as foreign minister. (Laughter.) he
had known men TO succeed in life and become
educated men, with but very few books he
said that on Yesterday he had visited the Capitol,
where he was received with the utmost courtesy
by the Governor OF the State, and by the State
Librarian, Mrs. Haskell, who showed him
through the Library with measure OF kindly
courtesy, more than which he could not nave ex
peCted even in the State OF Massachusetts. lie
| said he was surprised at the large number OF
| books in the Library and the excellent manner
| in which they were kept.
| The sneaker ma lie ailusion TO Kossuth, saying
| that when he came to the United States loaded
| down with knowledge OF American matters
| speaking our language with huency ihat maue
! tors; and when asked how he came by this knoWl-
edge of our affairs, he said his school house was
| anAustrian prison and his books were Bible, q
| COPY of Shakespeare aud an old English dictiOn-
| ary. He said that among the men
he liked to speak of, was the negro Benz. Banne-
| lker, who lived about ninety years ago, ana was
| one of the three surveyors who laid out the City
| of Washington. jefferson had said that 1t was
| his opinion negro was unable to grapple with
mathematics This negro sent him an almanac,
in which he had made all the astronomical calcu-
| iations Upon the receipt Of which Jefferson
! wrote him this letter:
| PHILADELPHIA, Aug. S0.-Sir: l thank you
sincerely for your letter and the almanac 1t con-
4 tains. Nobody more than do, wishes 10 see
| such proofs as you exhibit that nature has given
our black brethren talents equal to those OF oth-
| er colors of men; and that the appearance OF
| want OF them is owing mainly to the degraded
! condition of their existence in Africa anC
| America. L have taken the liberty OF sendme
| YOUR letter to MOnsiuer CondOZet, Secretary oil
| the Academy of Science at Paris, and mem
| Der of the Philanthropic Society, because con
| slider it document for your whole race ior tnen
| justification against the doubts entertained OF
| them. l am, with great esteem, your o0edlen'
| servant THOMAS JEFFERSON.
| The speaker continued at some length, anC
| was loudly applauded at the close OF his lecture
THE FAR WEST.