Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-22
WHITE MAN AND NEGRO.
A Characteristic Speech by Hon. Fred
Douglass.

THE RELATION OF THE RACES HIS roPrc-Nrxxr
MARRIAGES. AND OTHER QUESTIONS DISCUSSED
SENATOR INGALLS, cnITIcIsED-PRAIsx FOB TIL
PRESIDENT.
Three thousand people occupied all Of the
seats and good deal Of the standing room in
the Metropolitan A.ME. Church last night fol-
the purpose Of hearing the Hon. Fred Douglas
discuss 1.-THE Race Problem" The vast ma
jority Of the great audience was colored, bu
the Caucasian race was represented to such aI
extent as to give the multitude . sort Of 9
pepper-and-salt appearance not often seen In
these somewhat southern latitudes
Tho John NJ. Cook orchestra, Maj. Fleetwood
welding the baton, was engaged in rendering
an overture when the gentlemen who were to
occupy seats on the platform entered. Ar
outburst Of applause almost drowned the in.
strumental harmony as the orator, with Perry
Carson and John II. Smythe on either hand
took the seat allotted him. Others on the
platform were VIM. II. Smith, DIR. c. B. Pur-
Wis. John F. Cook, Rev. DR.. Handy w. II.
Bruce of Rochester, NY, and President Jas.
Storum OF the Bethel Literary and Historical
Association, under the auspices of which the
address was delivered. Secretary George W.
Jackson and Corresponding Secretary Lewis
H. Douglass sat within the rail and almost i'm
mediately beneath the reading desk.
THE OPENING PRocEEDINGs.
During the opening prayer, which was deliv.
cred by Rev. DIR. Handy, reference was made to
Fred Douglass as ''our foremost Citizen" A
selection by tho orchestra followed the invoca-
ton. and when Secretary Jackson had read the
minutes OF the last meeting a collection was
taken up. There was a PARKWAY look in a
great many eyes while the baskets were in cir
culation, and lots Of people looked SO stolidly
Indifferent that it was not difficult to imagine
them slghtless deaf mutes; some Of them must
have been practicing that trick for years.
First among the speeches was the one by
President Storum, who welcomed everyone to
the first meeting in the tenth year of the
Bethel Associations existence. He spoke
BRIEFLY but eulogstlcslly Of Douglass and his
casual mention OF Lincoln brought forth i'm
mense applause. Mr.. Storum was satisf ed that
the American people had struggled for years
with the race problem, and all their efforts had
been to the end how not to solve it..
Ex-Minister to Liberia John II. Smyth was
introduced, and he, after saying a number of
pleasant things about 1.-The sage Of Anacostia'-
as he termed him-introduced the orator to
the audience amid long-continued applause.
MR.. DOUGLASS SAYS THERE IS NO RACE PROBLEM.
For some little time Mr.. Douglass spoke of
the Bethel Association and its work, and when
'~%e-' @~NN
himself and the qualification of the member
ship he plunged boldly into his subject by
denying at the very outset that there was any
such thing before the American people as a
race problem. He insisted that things be
called by their right names, and then instanced
the value Of truth. Whom it was considered
how important truth was as foundation for
everything that was good and lasting, it was
strange that error should go frequently obtain
and prevail. One of the most serious Of these
errors sprung from misstatements which had
been made az to the existing relations between
men Of different races. He objected with en-
phass to the statement that the relations be-
tween the white man and the negro constituted
problem. Although rose would doubtless
smell as sweet by any other name, that afforded
no excuse for misnaming things. The slave
owners of thirty years ago did their utmost to
make slavery less odious by referring to it as
''our domestic institution" or "our social sys-
tenn Emancipation was made to look dan
gerous when 1t was called an experiment. That
was wrong. Slavery was the experiment.; lib
erty was the normal condition of mankind
THE NEGROES WERE THE CAUSE OF THE WAR;"
said Mr.. Douglass, quoting President Lincoln,
''and straightway the Yankees in the army
along the Potomac began to kick the negroes
the Irish in New York to kill Them These acts
were due to the misuse Of words-words in
which there was no truth. 1t was the other
fellows who caused the war;" This statement
was received with laughter and then Mr. Doug
lass went on to explain how dangerous it was
10 give dog a bad name and how that il was
scarcely less dangerous to do the same thing
by cause. Half truths we're complained of:
the sweet and wholesome truth being used as
the sugar coating covering q bitter lie. The
devil was much less dangerous as q roaring
lion than when he appeared IN the guise Of an
angel Of light.
NO REST FOR THE NEGRO.
"Ths American people," said Mr.. Douglass,
when his preliminary homily was over. "gen-
orally manage to keep the negros brain busy
with problems. When he solves one and
lies down to repose another one is invented and
placed before him. There may be rest for the
weary (dubiously) somewhere, but there is no
rest for the negro here There are problems
for him to solve. All his work seems to be the
solving of problems"
Two hundred and ten years ago the problem
was religious one. the question arising being,
Ought the negro to be baptized with water
and admitted to membership in the Christian
churchF That was tremendous problem at
that time. 1t touched
THE MONEY NERVE OF THE CHRISTIANS
OF the period because their wealth was largely
invested in human flesh and blood II negro
was Christian he could not at the same time
be heather, and therefore could not be
treated as heather; therefore the proposition
to baptIze him a monstrous one when
looked at from the Shareholders standpoint
That problem was solved by Dr. Goodwin. He
said that baptism would not destroy the market
value OF the negro nor revoke the authority of
the master. 1t was "a very convenient solution
1t divided the negro in two. His soul belonged
% 10 l.