The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-11-07
mistellamp.
The Foremost Negro in America.

Frederick Douglass is undoubtedly
the greatest living representative of
the negro race in America. Since he
dropped out of official life when he re-
signed his place as recorder of deeds
for the District of Columbia upon the
introduction of President Cleveland, he
has almost disappeared from public
view. For quite a year after Mr..
Douglass retired from public life few,
even of his closest friends, knew where
he was. A short time afterwards he
took the forum, and has since been lee
turing. He has just returned from a
trip to Europe, and looks as hale and
hearty as he did score of years ago,
although he is now running up into the
seventies. Mr.. Douglass residence is
situated on the top of a hill which rises
a hundred feet above the Potomac. aud
is located in the southeastern suburbs
of Anacostia, little village about five
miles southeast of the White House.
The cottage is an old-fashioned one, of
medium size, two stories, and made of
wood. Its interior arrangement and
furnishings are very similar to the old
plantation houses of the South. The
furniture is antiquated, the pictures on
the walls represent the taste and char
acter of its occupants, and the general
atmosphere of the surroundings is that
of well-to-do old citizen. Surround
ing the north front of the building is a
spacious piazza, on which | found ship
chairs, a rustic settee and other COM
Portable seats. The view from the
front of Mr.. Douglass house is one
of the most magnificent to be found
around Washington. Seven or eight
miles to the north and west, down
across the eastern branch of the Poto-
mac over the capitol building, over
Washington, out past Howard Univers-
ity, the eye perceives the Soldiers
Home, situated on an elevation quite
as high as the house of the colored pat
riot. Turning the eye westward, in
the far distance the top of Oak View,
the summer residence of the president,
can be dimly seen beyond Georgetown.
Directly west you look up the Potomac
along the wharves of Washington and
Georgetown, and little farther south
Arlington, Fort Myer and the billy
country beyond meet the eye. Going
around the house one gets a full view
of the Potomac river thirty or forty
miles, or as far as the eye penetrates
and Alexandria and Mount Vernon come
into view. Mr.. Douglass home show;
culture, refinement and gentility. The
old-fashioned fireplaces are filled with
statues of the Greek Slave, the Ange
of Night, Venus and the American
Slave, while on the mantelpieces are
busts of Lincoln and other American
patriots. On a wall in one of the par
Tors is life-size painting of Mr.
Douglass, while hanging about in pro
fusion and artistic taste are steel en-
cravings of sacred subjects. There il
a large bookcase in Mr. Douglass pri
vate office, and in it are works of his
tory, poetry, literature, religion, etc
Mr.. Douglass three or four daughter!
and as many sons are all married
With his recently acquired wife, wht
is said to be of pure white blood, h'
lives life of quietude and ease. HI
has many callers, and he entertain
them srlendidly. On the hill, where
his residence is located, is beautiful
garden and a quantity of fruit trees
where the old gentleman spends tn,
hours he has from his lectures ant
studies.