Smyrna times., 1877-07-04
Frederick Douglass.

Ierestlng account of Frederick Douglass's
visit to that place, the first he has made
Ince he left there al years ago. Some time
ago Mr.. Douglass expressed a wish to visit his
former master, Capt. Thomas Auld, an old
man now at the verge Of the grave, infirm
in body, but with clear and vigorous in
telIect. Capt. Auld expressed his desire
to meet his old servant, now the Marshal
OF the District of Columbia, and Mr.. Doug
lass accordingly went there on Sunday the
18th ult. The interview was very pleasant
throughout. Mr.. Douglass stated that in
his book written soon after his escape he
had made some statements that lapse of
time and reflection had caused him to feel
he had better have left unsaid, and for
aught he said that was unjust to his old
master, or that had wounded his feelings,
he begged his forgivness. Capt. Auld re-
piled that he had never expected to keep
Mr.. Douglass in slavery. He knew Al
years ago that the Marshal was too smart
to be a slave, and when he sent him to
Baltimore, after his difficulty at Erie
lands, instead of selling him South, it was
with the expectation that he would
achieve his freedom. Before returning to
Baltimore, Marshal Douglass called upon
Capt. Auld again to bid him good-by, and
when they parted both wept.
In the afternoon Marshall Douglass
addressed the colored people and large
number of white people in a grove near
the town. A summary of his remarks is
given below.
He began by saying that his presence
there was not for the purpose of tanning
the flames of sectional animosity, nor to
create ill feeling, nor yet to recount the
wrongs inflicted on his race for 200 years.
nor 10 go into antiquity for matter to stir
the blood and rouse the passions, nor to
indulge in a political harangue, nor to
expound the Constitution of the United
States. " l come, first of ALL" he said, "to
see my old master, from whom 1 have been
separated fer Al years, to shake his hand.
to look into his kind old face and see it
beaming with light from the other world.
have had great joy in shaking that hand,
In looking into that face stricken with age
and disease but aglow with the light that
comes from an honest heart"
Mr.. Douglass then passed into a eulocv
OF the white race and its achievements,
and told the colored people that they were
In contact with the most indomitable, the
most enlightened race in the world, and
that he would be false to his own race if he
did not tell them just where they stood
what an immense distance they were
behind the white people. He did not
believe the colored people were funda.
mentally and eternally inferior to the
whites, but they are nevertheless practi.
cally. "We must not talk about equality
until we can do what white people can do, ,,
he said. As long as they can build YES.
sells and we cannot, we are their interiors
as long as they can build railroads and we
cannot, we are their interiors; as long as
they found governments and we cannot.
we are their interiors" Coming down ON
the boat on Saturday night he noticed that
the 100 colored people aboard made as
much noise as 500 white people would have
done, and as long as they do these things
they are inferior to the whites.
IT in twenty years from now the race,
as a race, has not advanced beyond the
point where it was when emancipated, it is a
doomed race" hesaid. "The question nowis,
VIII the black man do as much for his new
master (himself) as he used to do for his
old master? Do you, my colored friends,
get up as early now to work for yourselves
as you used to do to work for that stern
old Roman, Samuel Hambleton?" He
told the colored people that they must get
money and keep it if they wished Ia
elevate themselves. One trouble with them
is they always want to be going somewhere
and do not want to stay in one place or al
one thing long enough to accumulate. A
poor people are always dispised people
TO be respected they must get money and
property. Without money there is nc
leisure; without leisure no thought; with
out thought no progress. Their preacher.
should tell them more about what to dc
and less about what to feel. They should
cultivate their brains more and their luna,
less. They should not depend upon being
helped, but should do for themselves. Hc
was tired of Ethiopia holding out hel
hands. They should not depend upon til,
Lord for everything. The Lord is gooC
and kind, but is of the most use to thos,
who do for themselves. No man has ,
right to live unless he lives honestly, anc
no man lives honestly who lives upor
another. The only political allusion b,
made in his speech was in saying that th,
Sousherner could control the vote of tn,
negroes iu the Southern States far NOR,
completely than Northerners could. Tn,
colored man turned instinctively for advice
and assistance to those who had bee,
) raised with him.
, This was Robert Stephenson's remark /,
the man who used to bother him abou
/ perpetual motions g if you will take your
self uD bv+ the waiathand Of ,ro,,, lu,-.l /