Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-01-13
THE NEGR0 AND HIS OppOSEPS Nv
CONGRESS-

In one of her fine letters from Washington
to the New York Times, Grace Greenwood
makes the following comments upon the de-
| bate on Monday on the civil rights bill, which
will have a deep interest for all republicans
The debate on Monday reminded me OF
scenes in the old House, twenty-tw years
| ago with difference. Then the black man
was insulted and ridiculed, but it was through
| his friends, the Abolitionists-he was not on
the ground to answer for himself. The change
was indeed wonderful, beyond the power OF
words to picture, to one who could remember
those old days, and all the more absurd and
| inconrruous seemed the tone and the attitude
| of the irascible gentleman from the Oid DO
| minion, Mr.. Harris, who burst on the scene
like political Rip Van Wrinkle. and threat.
onel and warned and cracked his moldy old
plantation whip in pitifui sort of burlesque
of the old swagger and swing. To be sure,
the demonstration was directed, not toward
white men, who might possibly call HIM out,
but black men, between whom and nm
self there could be no troublesome question
of an affair of honor. His little remark to
Mr. Ransier: "You sit down: 1 am taking
to white men and gentlemen, and not to you,
brutally coarse as it was, would have been
shocking if it had not been ridiculous. lit
tie point of order, calmly put by Massachu-
sets man, took the crack out OF the planta-
tion whip in about half a minute; which was
also unlike the old time. Mr.. Harris was
yery solemn and pathetic in his remonstrance
against the mixing of the white and black
children in the schools of the South. l can
not say how it would work there, but am OF
the opinion, from all my knowledge and OBJ
servation, that under such an arrangement
the white children would be put to their met
tle In my experience, limited allow, IN
teaching colored children, have found them
far more eager and anxious to learn, more
diligent and ambitious, more sensitive to
nraise and blame, than white children. All
NV teaching was done years ago n SUNDAY
schools, and | never ceased to be ast0nished
at the way my pupils leaped from the alpha
bet to the gospels. One poor boy, born
slave, learned in a few months OF Sunday In
s,ruction to read the Sermon on the Mount
better than the honorable gentleman from
Virginia seems ever to have read 1t. BY the
way, Mr.. Harris is himself frightful exam
ple of the indiscrminate mixing of white and
black children on the plantation and on the
nurses laps in the old pre- emancipation times
for he says ''pore' for poor, thar, "har,
and 'sar."
Slavery is dead, they all say-dead beyond
all widest possibility of resurrection, but
every now and then there is in its carcass, Its
skeleton, a strange semblance of life, flut-
tering. stir, and a muffied cry, reminding
one of the old story of the animated skull the
brave maid of German inn brought for
wager from a neighborina charnel-house, at
night and fell down fanting as she laid 1t on
the table Then it was found that bat had
made its nest within the CHASTITY hollow where
once had wrought a human brain, perhaps
proud, clever, imperious, and chivalric.
Something of the dignity and Importance Of
the old feudal system still hangs about Mr..
Alexander H. Stephens, and, with the melan
choly romance of the ''lost cause, makes him
a very interesting parsonage to all democrats
and some republicans. 1t is not alone his age
and feebieness, nor yet the tradition OF his
passionate eloquence, nor his character as
pure and honorable statesman OF the old
school, that inspires such demonstrative re-
spect and rivets such rapt attention upon him
whenever, with much fuss and circumstance,
he gets upon his legs to address the House;
but the fact that he was once an illustrous
supporter and representative of the peculiar
institution, that he was the Vice-Presldent Of
the i'll starred Confederacy. l must say that
in the excessive and pronounced difference
paid to Mr.. Stephens by some Northern men
there is to me degree of weak sentimentai-
ty and touch of the old funkeyism once SO
disgraceful to the North. As l watch them
the ghost of the familiar old douRh-face rises
like the phantom heads Of Moravia, and
gides about, looking more sickly than ever
il did in times when it was in everyday, con-
slant Congressional wear. | respect the
moral character of Mr.. Stephens l admire
his composure and dignity of mien, his I'M
quenched spirit and unbroken will; but GER.
tainly do no, honor him for his rebellion
record On the contrary, he seems to me
more guilty than his compeers who Inaugural
ted and carried on the war. He sinned
against more light, and was less consistent
than they. He loudly protested and solemn
~ warned, and gave in. He swan few
brave strokes against the mad current, and
then drifted So, SO, this last great effort of
the last great statesman of the South was an
swered by a negro answered with an ele.
gance OF diction matching his own, and a
mastery, magnetic eloqueuce that charmed
and held all that great audience, if it did not
convince. How passing strange all this must
have seemed to the fiery but just old man,
calmly and resolutely as he has brought him
self to accept the consequences of the "great
quell'' by which he and his accomplices were
whelmed out of sight, and the altered condi-
ton of things when, getting their heads above
water, they climb, one after another, to the
deck of the old ship of state! New officers,
new crew, new rigging, and new chart
hing familiar but tina. tresome old flag
scCrched at Sumter, and torn in a hundred
battles-scorned and repudiated, but looking
as good as w-triumphant and Joyous, the
| flag of flags for ever.