New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-10

hour is perfect il to this blending Of esrth
and water we can add cloudless sky
90 c'oudless, clear ana pure'y beautiful
That God one is seen IN heaven"
But the early morning sun soon brings
forth mists and vapors from the earth, and
these are in proportion to the heat and
brightness Of the sun and to the richness
and moisture of the earth. Under the hour
ly increasing heat of the god of day, % he
ascends higher and higher in the eky, the
flowers wilt and fade, the sparkling dew is
dried up, and the birds cease their songs
and fee for protection to shaded retreats;
the eky becomes overcast, the thunder's
low mutterings presage the approaching
storm. to which the freshness and glory of
the early morning has been but as means
to an end. A. in the natural world, 90 in
the spir itual, the soul has its one morning
of birth, of supreme spiritual conscious
ness of evident sympathy with ell that is
pure and true and beautiful. But the hu.
man heart is as rank with elements of evil
~ the earth is with miasms. The light and
heat of the new life and new love will in
time de velop the clouds and mists of doubt
within ne, ending at last in the storm Of
passion and conflict through which the free
will Of the new man must carve out state
of final peace and rest. And what is true
of nature and Of the eoul is true of the great
epochs in history in which the morning
sun of liberty rises and pours in
upon long oppressed people tho light
and heat and joy of freedom. To
such an awakening the negro race has
been called in America. The man who
once felt that he could have part or lot
with anything on earth; to whom. the
sacred ties Of .'home" could never come, to
bless and sanctify his life; who could not
even stand and pluck the smallest OF Gods
flowers by the road side and say, ''this is
mine;" who could not look into tho eyes of
his children, and say, "these are my own"
the man to whom life was his only cloud,
and mist, and darkness and storm; 20 this
wan there came q great awakening, rs of
full summer sun rising suddenly in mid
night to assert it's power over darkness.
From the darkness and degradation and
wrong of slavery the negro slave was lifted
suddenly, as by Q miracle of grace and
power, into the full light Of personal
freedom, of the blessings of education,
the dignity of American citizenship.
The song and gladness and exultation
of the first hour of this bright morn
ing of new life has passed away. The
season of clouds and mists approaches.
The hour of trial comes on apace in which
possibly the new born man will be forced to
carve out for himself the conditions of his
own life, with nothing to rely on but his
own brave heart, his own strong arm, and
faith in his one almighty friend and Divine
emancipator. Come what may, let the
night be ever 80 dark, let the storm of re-
action be ever so terrible and for the time
overpowering, let not the negro for one
moment lose faith in his own human nature
or faith in his Creator. All things work to-
gether for the good of those who love God.
as all things work togethger for the glory OF
God. The question of supreme interest in
this crisis of the American republic, there
fore, is not "What is to become of the ne
gro!"
Again repeat what have 80 often stated
in this correspondence, that the future OF
the negro is assured. His mission as the
representative of a peace power IN the
South has been entered upon. He is as
certain of his future of life and nationality
and selfrespect as truth and God can make
that future. The question of supreme in
terest to every American .is, "What is to
be the fate of the American Union if it be-
comes q government of caste" Who that
has studied the philosophy OF history can
fail to see where caste must in the nature OF
things land this nationi The effect Of the
caste born Of slavery upon the future OF the
republic is as clearly to be seen now as was
the effect of slavery on the republic fore
seen in the past by Thomas Jefferson, Cassius
N. Clay, of Kentucky; Bourne, OF Virginia;
Henry Winter Davis, of Maryland, and
other Southern sbolitionists. The hrst
effort of baste NEGRO serfdom) will be to
resectionalize the late slave States OF the
Union on the issue Of negro subordlnation
to the white race; representing as the
dominant race, there would be compact
and determining political power within the
Union. The next effort will be to slienste
the negro power from the Union. Inc
next effort will be to make the preservation
Of the Union 1.-THE negro being lost) depend
on the forbearanee of the Confeder-
ate power. So from one step to another
the nation will be dragged back into the
very position it occupied before the war;
the only difference being that the Confed'
srste South will be more united and more
sectional than ever before, more powerful
voting all of the negro power and more
dangerous, because more cautious ana
experienced.
In the political contest which lies De1ofe
rs We are forced by the necessities OF tne
situation to recognise the facts above SCI
forth. These facts embrace, ON the ono
hand, o new race-life and race-destiny to
which the former slave has been born.
These can never be taken from him. nor
will tho negro submit TO any sbridRmens O.
bis natural rights - . man or of his civil
rights - . citizen Of tho republic. II he
must lesve the national household he vii
70. bpt he will 70 - . man. he will not