The Caucasian. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1874-1875, 1874-05-02
The Negro Mis- Past and
Future.


Tho negro has been the Central figure il
Europe and America for moro than quar-
tor Of = century. That he should have nc
qnired that imPortanoe ID one Of the mos
curiOus episodes in the history OF mankind
Indeed, his'whole history is = paradox. A
nation without heroisn. which has never
known or even pinned for liberty, his slave
ry in America has excited more sympathy
thxp the slayary, Of Greece Or. the fall, o.
heroic Poland. a micro savage whenever
left to himself with the lowest instincts
whether in AFRICA Or San Domingo, and
even in America scarcely more than n semi
barbarian; without refinement and with
out genius, he has had attributed to him
the tact, the refinement and the aspirn
tions Of tho highest civilization. Hystcr.
ical old maids and school marms from.the
North In their sentimental moods dream
ofhis smiles as Don Quixotc did Of those
Of his Dnlceuia, and insane bigots sock to
propitiate the wrath Of Heaven by preach
ing crusades and parading their sympa.
thies in his behalf. Without viii Of his
own and mere instrument In the hands
of others. he has nevertheless developed
one remarkable facility, that Of running
do with him. Whether it no his maste,
at the South or his worshppcrs, the Abol.
itionists. at the North. He has absolutely
reversed the order Of Induction and facts
sremade to prove in regard to him exact
1y the reverse Of what they wonld prove il
applied to other races Domestic slavery
is p.ade the cause of his ignorance, and his
barbarian apd his want Of capacity, and
yet domestic slavery with all it's odous
features was a paradise compared to his
condition in Africa. One Of the Oldest ma
tions. Africa. is without 81 history, and
even its traditions tell no. story of u negro
hero. There, he Is the Same to day that
he vase 1000 years ago, without letters,
without art, without science and without
Q government. He was cotemporar with
Egypt in the days OF her civilization and
her glory and yet no Cadmus was able to
He lived to see the rise aud decline of the
civilizations Of Palestine, Of Nineval Of
Babylon, Of Greece. Of Rome. Of Arabia
but they failed to light up for ono single
moment tho darkness Of his barbarism.
Brought to America nearly 200 years ago,
and reared in the midst Of the dcvelopc-
ment Of the most wonderful civilization
tho world has ever known, his race is yet
without an inventor, without an author
without y philosopher ana even without
ski!lful executor of other mems ideas
But his admirers with an dolatry whose
blindness reminds us Of that of tho wor-
shippers In the Pagodns of China and Tenn
pies Of India. refuse to SEQ in their idol
anything bnt the evidence of divinity and
rtil) attribute his ignorance to tho effects
Of slavery. They forget that Sparticns
and Sertorins and Esnp and Terence, were
slaves in tho midst VI Il slavery more crnel
and barbarous than any known in osis age.
Ia. .xf
tho American negro with that of his am
cestor, and inquire the cause Of tao great
change. It is trf,c that the civilization of
the American negro wien compared with
TINT Of tho Ang!o-Saxol, is low sa,decd--
but it is unreasonable in advance of any
civilization III Africa, aud we believe in
advance Of that oESan Domingo and Hay
ii, where he has been left to his own gcni-
Ns for ninety years. That one shonld sym
Tathise with intelligence and genius and
refinement in tho francis of slavery and
mourn with them over their loss of libcr
ty IS what VIC can readily comprehend
but we cannot appreciate tho sentiment
which mournso the loss Of the liberty of
u people, who never were frce, but taken
from q slavery of whose cruelty and deg
radiation we have. no conception ID
placed in one infinitely more mild and
gentle. Neither can we appreciate tie sin
cerety Of those who believe that the Afri-
can, a hideo"s, naked savage, ignorant of
every art has been injured and kent in IT,
norance by being clothed and placed il,
tho midst Of civilization and taught tire
arts Of civilized life; although his school
room was that Of domestic slavery. Do
mestic slavery had many evils and many
blessings; but rs paradoXical as it may
sound, its evils were almost entirely visit
ctl upon tho white man and it's blessings
upon the negro. TO him it was par
adisa true it was not II paradise entirely
free from OWL, but still one in which the
good preponderated SO much over tho evil
as to mako it's blessing to him full to over,
flowing. 1t can almost say to him in the
language of scripture you were naked and
clothed you, yon were hungry aud fed
you, you were sick and visited YOU" It'll
found him naked hide0ns savage and i'll
it has not left him as civilized and ointel
ligent as hysterical old ma,dsc,nd corrupt
politicians claim him to be, it has done
moro for Linn than any other system has
done for him for 5000 years. 1t has left him |
clethed and in his right mind and mon
tho threshold of civilizations What other
school has, or could havb--done so much
Perhaps Wendell Phillips and others would
have built hinr schOol-houses and sent him
the school master and Wcbster's spelling
book, but If our ancestors h.sd made such
an attempt, history would surely write
them down ~ insane. We doubt IL there
is All abolitionist in the North except Mr..
Phillips, who would be willing to thus nm
dertake the education of u cargo of these
naked children of Africa even in tho midst
OF this age Of primmers and spelling books
and school masters; but we have no doubt
that there arc thousands Of carpet-baggers
at the South and political demagogues at
tho North who would be more than will
ling to undertake tho education not only
of II cargo but Of a Thousand cargoes of
these naked Africans in the science of
American craftsmanship, and how to vote
the so-called Republican ticket Is,t our
ancestors thought otherwise. Mhen laud-
cd upon our shores. they must either have
sent them back to die in tho middle pas
sage or to the jungles and barbarsm of AZ
RIGA or decide rs they did. Their decis.
ion has been . curse fuN of curses to the
tie man and a blcssing