The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-04-19
HOME MATTERS.
LIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS.
4 Dark Night, A Dark Lecturer, and "a Dark


On Thursday last number Of handbills thrown
around town announced that Rev, NJ Wilson
would lecture at the Court House in the evening
The night was very dark aud rainy hence the
Court House was but partially filed at first
though before the close Of the lecture Il very re-
spectacle audience had gathered, attracted more
by the novelty of the thing than any deep inter.
est in the cause.
There were only six persons Of color there, but
this was Il large turn out rs II was nearly two
thirds of the entire population.
AZ a few minutes past T. NJ, dusky gentle
man known as "Brush's Pete" or peter Brush,
came in cscorting the orator who was several
shades darker than the "acc Of spades
The speaker was introduced by his escort in
the following speech, which was doubtless Peters
maiden effort He said:
"Gemmens, have the pleasyer to induce Mr..
| WilsOn-thats all
Mr.. Wilson loomcdup hlacIy, 4 stalwart, polite
negro, beginning to he wrinklcd, his bald head
ornamcn;cd with wig. His eyes shone and his
teeth glistcucd is fayoritc gesture was an cXten-
sion Of his right arm at fun length, and opening
his fingers rs wide apart as possible. When doing
this as he repeatedly did between the reporters
desk and the audience, the hand cclipscd all OBJ
ccts, and in size seemed to beat the hand of Pro
videncc, of which we read. The speaker, on be-
Ing introduced, said;
"'lhc darkness Of the night and the rain makes
the audience small, but there are no hurried con-
Idtions Of this lecture. | was here twenty years
ago seeking my freedom, and now am here to
IL,
late and granulatc and graduate into freedom
but less wait for more audience" He then took
la rest.
Prcttry soon a dark gentleman entered with
two ladies, of very light color, and both rather
handsome Their hair was done up in II state OF
wavy friz2lc, of which the most elaborate effort
Of fashionable belle can be only weak imita-
ton, and the result Of an hours interview with
the curling iron, merely an cXasperation and a
d22lo The colored ladies have but to run a
coarse cob through their hirsute appcndage to
the Uranium, and their head toilet is perfect for
week.
These colorcd ladies did not laugh and giggle
nor lay themselves out" to attract central at
tention Of the men, bat opened their eyes and
mouths and drank in the words Of the orator I.
lie began again by stating that since 1866 he
had been travelling around the country trying to
organize night schools for the education Of the
colorcd race. We took full notes of the old zen
tlcman's spccch, but do not care TO publish them,
since the speaker ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS want Of cdu-
cation, and seemed TO be Il good, kind old man,
who is trying to serve his race and his Lord TO
the best OF his ability His idea that we should
have mixed schools ofcolOrcd and white children,
because of the pretty contrast of color, was
unique He says the same idea applies to horses,
cattle, hens, &c variety are the spice OBJ life,'
said the speaker.
He chidcd his white brethren for not a,socia-
ting more with their colorcd neghbors. He was
necessarily asking conundrums. This was his
style of argument:
" DO you visit the colorcd people? What for?
To cheer cm up Why cheer 'cm up? Because
they are human beings, and arc as happy when
chrcrcd up as your
"rhcrc arc six and half millions ofus colored
people in the country; we are part Of you; We
love YOU; we cling to you; we will go where you
60, and die when You die We will live with you;
We help pay your taxes, our taxes; we help sup
You brought Us here. Your forcfathcrs fought
against oppression; now don't Cypress us
We haven't space to follow the old gentleman
through. He opened by singing: "My country,
'tis Of thee" and closed with, $50, go thou that
me" &C. He sang in good voice, and
wa fechy Joined 10y the congregation.
The following committee Of colorcd men, to
conduct colorcd night schools, was appointed
viz: J. A. Childs, Assam bucket and Joshua
Martin.
a collection was taken up for he cause, to
which the audience responded with generous
contribution Of quartcrs
somehow there was painful absence Of re
pubIicns. The genuine simon pure. negro
CATERERS didnot turn out. We only
saw one or two in the entire aud.cr Why was
this; Has Cullen'5 apparatus 20 di,..llng GRO
.odilc tears dried up?