Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-11-23
HON. FREDERICK DOUGLASS.
The Distinguished and Talented Celored
Orator Visits Knoxville,
And Lectures to a Delighted Audience at
Stauh,a Ouera Hnuae.

distinguished men of America, now Register
Of Deeds, and formerl, Marshal of the Dis
trict of. Columbia, paid his first visit to-
Knoxville arriving here on the
early train Monday morning, ac-
companied by Mr.. A. S. Jones,
former Knoxvillian, and took rooms at the
Hattie House. During the day, notwith-
standing the unfayorable state of the
weather, Mr. Douglass was called upon by
many of our prominent citizens, all OF
whom were pleasantly entertained. He was
al driven out, to limited extent, about
the city, visiting the colored college
spoken of elsewhere-and also the
colored public school at the Aus
tin building Here the distinguished
gentleman was highly entertained and very
much interested in the regular exercises of
the schools, as well as those of the indus
trial school, under the supervision of Miss
E. L. Austin. The weather prevented
visit to Island Homo" and other promi-
nent points about the city.
Last night Staub's opera house, notwith-
standing the extremely inclement weather,
was attended by good audience,
white and colorcd the latter composing
the larger part The colored folks occupied
one half of the house, and the whites the
other If the weather had have been favora-
bic, the house would have been filled, no
doubt. The curtain rose shortly before 8
O'Clock, and the audience was favored with
some excellent vocal music by
choir of colored ladies and gentle
men, with Miss Austin at the organ.
The honored speaker was then introduced
by W. F. Yardley, Esq, who related briefly
some of the famous achievements of the speak
ers; how he escaped from slavery in 1888, and
afterwards worked SO zealously and SO
effectually for the emancipation of his fellow
men.
Mr.. Douglass is considerably past the
meridian in life, and is what might be
termed a very bright mulatto, in fact,
as he says, he is about as much
white as colored. He is tall, we'll
built, broad-shouldered, and of decidedly
commanding personal appearance, His
head is not snow white, but very decidedly
gray, and the great profusion of hair,
slightly inclined to be wavy but hanging
down almost to his shoulders, faring out
and rather inclined to business, adds to the
venerablsness of his appearance. He wears
full beard, though clipped rather short. 1t
is also of an iron gray, though
more inclined to be black around the
month He dresses in neat and faultless
| style, with black cloth suit and blaze neck
| tie, with SLOUGH drab colored hat and
wears gold trimmed spectaeles. His move
ments are graceful and easy, and the i'm
prints of a natural born orator are stamped
! upon his every movement. One Is I'M
/ pressed at the first glance, with the fact
| tnat lie possesses an intellect of no common
order, aud he is graceful, refined and cul-
tured in all his actions and words, having
ready command of language, of the very
/ best kind.
The speaker began by reSretting that
his audience had to come out in such IN
| clement weather, but he rejoiced that they
came of their own accord. His subject, he
/ announced, was self made Men" and it
was not new one After some prelinlin-
arv remarks he drew the conclusion that
practically and literally speaking, there are
10 self made men, for what we are and
have we have either begged, borrowed or
stolen. No man can live entire
ly independent of his fellow-men.
He eulogi2ed honest labor in the highest
terms, and pronounced every useful en-
ployment beneath the sky Al honorable one.
The first half dollar he ever had, he said,
he earned by backing boots, when a boy,
aud with that he bought Columbia ora
tor" He had never studied logic, nor had
any schooling but what he knew about
speaking he had learned from the old fash
Toned Methodist preachers, who existed
before there were colleges Oh
steepes to their churches.
They were accustomed to l.y out their sub
iect under the heads 8 firstly" g secondly
etc, and sometimes they had "conciu
. sion" but seldom. The speaker would fol
low that style.
Firstly, then, the man who, without high
birth and parentage or wealth and oppu
lence, attains success, distinction and honor
in life is the true type of a self-made man
He does not approve of the theory Of
achieving greatness by accident
though it is popular one
To a sensible man the lazy man is an un
lucky man, and a man of work is the mai
of luck. Neither does the speaker belle vi
that any man is the object of special Divine
favor. No conquest or victory is attained
without labor. If a man lays down a foo
at night expecting to wake up wise man
he will wake up the next morning as he la,
down, precisely. 1t has been too much tn
custom, he said, among minister's especially
of his race, to pray for knowledge instea'
Of working for it. Prayer will not avail
, much, he concluded, without attended b,
> work. You ask me, said the speaker, wha
q is the grand artihcer of self-made men,
say work, not transient and trifing, bu
constant and dilgent work. There can b.
no independence without g large share 0
dependence.
He gave his fellow men some sound ad
: vice at this juncture, and said just give tn
}, colored man chance, and if he eau
IS stand, let him go. Some people are Away
asking, what shall We do with the negro?
: He says '.let him alone, ;" but be certain yo1
q give him chance, If you see him on hi
way to school, church or the ballot box
just let him alone. If you see him on hi
. way to Congresses (the speaker am
iSt Iltu 60 II Tie bcESIO cah s1hud wi
gress, Congress ought TO stand him.
He spoke next of the emancipation of b
race, under such adverse circumstance
Why, said he, when the Israelites WEI
enancipated, they we're told to take all th
jewelry they could carry along with then
II and they have had liking for jewelry eve
- since. When the negro was emancipatet
he was told to go; the yankees freed yor
let them feed you. They were driven oil
free-to the ar, frost, wind and ice, bJ
when gone, the masters found the
had sent away the hand and muscle and lie
the mouth untitled. They then said ''con>
back and work, we will pay you" 1t
=. said the negrois dying out, the census show
?, different, from 4,000,0 900 when freed the
: have grown to near 5000, 900. The negl
!. never dies all they want is fair play and
be let alone.
P,+ caoDnI1r. u-o,.k 10 MT o1ona ba q