New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-05-07
To Ny TovvnsfoiI<s cAfar.-

THE law of Changeis in operation here, as
elsewhere. What mountains of our trials
of our hindrances of our expressions, does
not Improving Time level down. And what
valleys Of our dependencies of our disap-
pointments; of our failings; of our broken
hopes of our unreached aims, does not
Improving Time level up, and thus reduce
for one common good, all to one common
plane.
This Invariable law Of Change, written by
the hand of Improving Time on almost every
thing here, whether material or political,
moral or religious, is so percep:ible as not to
escape the most casual observer.
AT a date much further back than the pres
ent writing, as you, my dear Towns-folks
"Afar," may we'll recolect, Time dropped
me here, from one Of her wings, for observa-
ton and reflection if for no better purpose
and, for the moment, standing in the mid
die of one of our broadest avenues, and gaz-
ing around with mingled wonder and dis
appointment. l could not refrain from
exclaiming: "Is this the Capital of the
United States:"
The great dome Of the Capitol in the dis
lance attracted me, and mounted one of the
passing strcet-cars for conveyance thither.
But l was instantly ordered off, and more
summarily pushed of. as it my quaint blue
coat and brass buttons, quered with myself,
''that begets me this vile treatment"
Not to be baked, however, 1 took a private
conveyance; but partly owing to this Soon
cern," yet more to the apologies for streets
in the Capital Of the nation-the cutters of
which were, upon an average, two feet deep
- our vehicle broke down some three times
before we reached the massive law manufac-
tory known as the Capitol, whose dome first
attracted me, and was now the object of nv
pursuit.
l assembled the steps to enter this marble
pile, but was as peremptorily elected there
from as had been from the pestilent street.
car. g 1t is not your blue coat or brass but
tons, but the color of your face, that is
Objectionable here, ," said the fellow in charge,
as my high starched collar wited with per-
spratiOn and veXatiOn at this additional in
dignation, heaped upon me by petty hire
ling.
Having no other recourse, / set out for the
White House, "pedestranly" this time to
enter, possibly, my solemn protest to his
Excellency, against such vicious treatment.
Bnt here, as elsewhere, the same fate attend
edme, in yet more summary ejectment from
this ''house of stone"; and, more than all
by way Of the kitchen at that.
In my despair, took to the Church. But
sadder yet to tell, the whole of that "reli-
gious gathering" was so disturbed by my
presence U, Of course, came up into the
body of the church for a seaD; the good
preacher so overcome the faithful deacons
so confounded, that, whatever piety there
was, fled out of the windows, and miserable
sinners were left, for that day at least, to
make shift for themselves.
Many similar adventures did make, with
no better success. But Improving Tine
swept on, leveling down here, and leyelirg up
there the affairs of men; and, as she passed
me in her course, she. whispering, said: "It
is not, and never was, your color but our
condition that oppressed you. Go now and
see what a change has been wrought among
the children Of men,"
And / went round the Capital and OBJ
served materialism enhanced overywh ere an
hundred fold. / saw city of unimaginable
insignifcance in the years that Time had
swept into oblivion, transformed into "a
thing of beauty" to-day.
went and entered the same street-car
from which, in one of the years that are
gone, had been elected, and rode comforta-
bly,, and chatted freely with many about me.
And, too, entered the same God-fearing
church, whose worship my presence so sadly
disturbed in that far past, and l was now
made too welcome for even q saint.
went, moreover, to the White House, or
better, to the Executive Mansion, out of
which, by way of the kite hen door, in the
long time ago, was thrust into the street,
aud now sat face to face with his Excellency
and conyersed with HIM as long as sensible
man could wish to detain the powers
that be-"
And, too, went to the Capitol. and came
upon the identical individual (his face only
turned round to the other side of his carcass),
who now welcomed me to seat in the same
Hall, from the steps Of which he had insult
ed me far back in the years that have gone
by. And, looking down from my seat in the
gallery, how plainly could see the hand of
Improving Time indelibly stamping all around
the word Change" and on further obser-
Walton, what scene was presented
Hiram r. Revels (colored mani sat COM
fortably enough in his seat in the Senate
chamber. Rainey, Turner, Delarge, Elliott,
Cain, Rapier. Ransier, Walls, Lynch, colcred
men all sit before me quite as comfortably in
the House of Representatives, or are we 60
ing in and out like others, working like 9TH
ers, moving about like others, and, in all,
doing as well as others, and better than
some, just as though such things with them
were matters of an hundred years. standing.
Improving Time had swept along, and in
her course leveling, as consequence, the
mountains Of trial and opposition TO the class
from whence these Representative men have
emanated, and who to-day completely stand
one the political plane common to :il Ameri-
can people.
And, as it were, to crown the passing hour,
the Hon. J. T. Rainey, was, on the Both day
of April, one thousand eight hundred and