National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-01-22
a Lichen for who viii.

TO the Editor OF The NdtIO1Gi RSpu5licIR
There are sermons in stones. books in running
brooks and gems of wisdom sparkle in the word,
spoken to the delegation of colored men By Presi
dentelect Garfield at Mentor the other day. After
personal and civil liberty the greatest need OF the
colored race is selfrelance, selfrespect 10 accom-,
pany the intellectual light that is dawning upon
its eager mental vision. The time 70 regret and
bemOan our first appearance on this continent
and the treatment subsequently, melted out to us
has long since passed away. ami il may not be
long before higher intelligence on our part and
Il lOftier abnegatiOn than most OF Us fee! capable
of just now shall find something 10 he glad for
amid the dregS othat bitter cup long held to our
lips but pride aud the arbitrary eXigencies of the
present, betokening with certain prescience the
solemn demands of the future, forbid Us 10 more
than glance backward. We must deny ourselves
even that poorest of luXurieS-regret. We have no
leisure for felicitatiOu what we have accom-
pllshed; we must up and on. The nations are
marching, and unless we get into line and march
likewise we shall be trampled under foot. trOdden
into greater inSignificance by the very least of
them. The shuttle-cockS of American civilization,
we have been whirled so rapidly by the battledOro
OF events out of that
sCYLLA INTO THE OTHER CHARYBDIS;
outraged and stripped of every legal vestment we
have been tossed from the lOtieSt temple of Justice
i'll the only land we could call orr own into the
arms of some of the nobleSt men the world has
ever known. We have followed the Republican
party through the cloud by day and felt the fire of
the Democratic pillar ut night. We have clung to
the political coattails of several MOsese until they
have dropped off in our hands; we have found
thistle where we expected figs and been surprised
by roses where all seemed weeds. Friends and
foes have projected and planned for us till they
can well do so no longer.
General Garfield struck the keynote of the races
salvation when he declared that the equality of
citizenship was determined by the intelligence and
training of the citizen Il may Rot quote him ex-
actlyl. Now let us face the truth. it may
be- humiliating as it is. All our life long we have
been mcHdiCantS beg9arS, either for PERSONAL free
dom, political equality, or houses of worship. We
have been accustomed to hold out our hands 50
long that many of us seem 10 have forgotten that
they given to lis for other purposes. and have
frequently Solaced ourselves for Our own short
cOningS by the reflection that our position before
the world was the compulsiOn Of involuntary sub
mission to the fiat of an irresistible VIII that we
are slow to acknowledge the obligations of re
lease or comprehend the conditions of freedom in
its highest sense. We have not yet learned as peO
pie the difference between
LIBERTY AND LICENSE.
nor been taught that freedom has depths weiLnigh
as horrible and degrading as serYitudc. Defying
the malice of our enemies, we have failed TO dread
the contempt OF our friends.
People who are always asking favOrS, even
though these may be their moral right, frequently
find themselves in CALLING situations. An habitual
attitude of mcndCancy. no matter what may be
the object of solicitation ia always Indicative of
feeble purpose, if not moral weakness. 1t Is an
economy of civilization that those who have been
beneiactors. We must strive then to rise
from our position among creations poor
and take rank with Gods almOnerS. be it ever
so humble. 1t will be q mighty stride
forward when we can bequeath 10 more needy
people the pity that deSpises while it assists 4
lion does not hoist itself all at once into the front
ranks of civilization, and the elevation of n
is the product of many factors We need to recOg-
nize this and tolerate differences OF opinion as
do varieties of taste. An elm is an elm by the
same natural law that an oak is not a pine. We
but follow the divine prompting of tie soul in
wishing for recognition and Announcements in life.
but we want to understand that Il few years of
training and partial education cannot
centuries of science. knowledge and
culture, and guard against turning consideration
into ridicule and disgust by the arrogant prefer
ment of claims to which we have no shadow of
title. FAITH LICHEN.