New-York tribune., 1879-10-18
THE FALL OF SLAVERY.
RECOLLECTlONs OF AN ABOLITlONlsT'
BY OLIVER JOHNSON.
EFFORTS TO EDUC ATE THE NEGRO.

EFFORTS TO EDUCATE THE NEGkO'
twill he impossible for the people of tins OF Oh
future generations to do Justice to the sincer'tv'
courage foresight and persistency OF Mr. "arr's"n
and his associates unless they are fully informed vi
The state of public opinion at the time when these
men began their hard and self-imposed task. oh
this point have already presented some striking
but painful facts and illustrations, but there Is
another view of the subject that must not he omit
ted-another dark shadow to he added To picture
already too repulsively black and hideous. lhe
reader will rcmem Der that our object was tw0-ioiu'
viz: TO emancpate the slaves and improve 'he
condition of the free people of color We ionhd 'ne
latter class excluded from all but the ioNes' ".-
yantages for Obtaining an education Tor thei.
children. The schools, academies. universities auu
colleges of the land We're with hardly an eNoep'o",
rgidly closed against pupils OF African descent a""
There wasonlv too much reason TO fear that many
children of this class would grow up IN ignorance
vice and crime unless some sort of educational IN
.ntutons were provided for their immediate ben
oft Mr. Garrisou's attention called To TINS
subiect while he was in Baltimore. and II was
frequent topic of conversation between himself and
some of the most intelligent colOred citizens oil that
place When he visited New-Haven, after ms re-
lease from the Baltimore JAIL the Rev simeon =
Jocelyn. whose death at the ripe age OF eighiS
wears occurred only a short time since, was the
white pastor of colorcd peoples church III tha'
city. Mr.. Garrison naturally sought his acqnalnt-
anee and was happy TO find III him man
after his own heart. devoted To the WEI
fare of the coored people, and ready 10 CO.
operate in any feasible plan for their Improvement.
He had no faith in the colonization scheme ana
was ready to espouse the doctrine of immeoia'e
enancIpation the moment il was fairly presented To
his mind So far a. know, lie the first white
man tn conceive the idea of founding IN tins cOun-
fry college for negroes, and for what he dld ana
suffered IN this cause well as for his ant-slaVery
labors generally, he deserves honorable mention IN
these sketches. MIR Arthur Iappan, to whom Mr'
Garrison was indebted for his release from prison,
was also deeply interested in the proposed college.
and offered TO be of ten persons To contribute
81 900 each the object. To insure the success
of tie enterprise II deemed important that the
colored people themselves should cooperate therein;
and. as they were to hold National convention IN
Philadelphia in June, 1881, Mr. Garrison Mr.
.Jocelvn and Nj. Tappan agreed to meet there for
tbe nurpose of LAYING the subject before them.
They were very cordially received, and by invita-
tion addressed the convention. Mr.. Jocelyn in his
enthusiasm. had concluded that New-llaven was
the best place for the college. and was full of hope
that the enterprise would command the cordial and
earnest support of the people of that city and of
the trustees and faculty of Yale. He had even
selected a site for the college buildings" the
most beautiful spot says Mr. Garrison. 81 have
ever seen. No other part of New-Haveu compares
whit They proposed. in their wisdom. that the
institntion should not be identified in any way with
the new movement for the abolition of slavery, but
stand upon its own merits and make its appeal
10 intelligent. upright and humane men Of every
class party and sect The idea was that even those
who were not prepared to promote a scheme for the
immediate emancipation of the slaves would yet
readily unite in an effort to improve the character
and condition Of coloIed people already free.
The convention embraced some men If more than
ordinary intelligence and worth-men who in
white convention would have won distinction for
ability, thoughtiuluess and dignity. By these the
proposal TO found college was enthusiastically re-
ccyed, and after DAY spent in debate, the project
was unanimously approved, and the Rev. Samuel
L. Cornish, a colored Presbyterian, of New-Nork,
was appointed agent for the collection OF funds.
The matter was contded 10 a committee. consisting
of the venerable James Forcn. Joseph Casey. Rob
crt Douglass. Robert Purvis and Frederick A. Hm
ton. all OF Philadr lphia and men Of recognized
marx and influence among the people of their class
The plan was Tor the coiorod people themselves to
raise $1,000 and to collect equal sum from
white people Ii was proposed 10 call the irstitU-
ton "a Collegiate School on the Manual Labor
Plan" and the funds 10 be collected were 10 be de
nestled IN The United states Bunk TO the credit OF
Arthur Tappan. The committee obtained a rather
cold Endorsement Of the plan by the venerable
Bishop White and his assistant, Bishop Ii. |. On
derdonk 1t was also commended by the Rev. G..
I. Bedell. afterward Bishop of Ohio, and by the
Rev. Drs. Thomas McAuley and Ezra stiles Ely,
men of mark III the Presbyterian Church
Against a scheme so noble IN its purpose, and 50
carefully and prudently devised, what could be
] ff.rtf al
of every denomination, and the friends Of cduca-
tion especially. would give it cordial support
Who could have anticipated that the people of
New-Englaud, proud rs they were of their schools.
academies and colleges, would take offence at this
effort TO uplift an unfortunate and downtrodden
class of American ctizensl Who could have
deemed il possible that churches calling themselves
Christian. and that full of zeal 10 establish
schools i'm heather nations. would treat with con-
tempt difference hostility this effort 10 pro-
vide the means of education for large number ot
children growing up in ignorance III their very
midstf Yet it was even SO. If the proposal had
been to establish an institution for the propaga-
ton of leprosy, smallpox or yellow fever, It
could hardly have been secuted with a
fcrcer indignation resisted with a more
vehement energy. On every side was
heard the exclamation, We don't want
anv niger colleges in America; send 'em
back to their own country" 1t was not alone IN
places Of low resort or among the ignorant and de-
graded classes Of society that this hateful spirit of
caste prevailed: it broke OUT ike a leprosy in
good society,"" and even in the Christian churches
The Richmond Religious telegraph edited by the Rev.
A. Converse, a recrcant son Of New-England, and
a graduate of Dartmouth College, published, with
editorial cOmmendation, an argument 20 justify
the keeping OF the slaves IN ignorance, on the
ground that il woud be highly meXpedient, and
even dangerous to the peace ut the community 10