New-York tribune., 1891-05-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
FRED DOUGLASS

FRED DOUGLASS
FREDERICK DOUGLASS. By Frederic May Holland
l2mo. PIP. 423. Funk & Wagnans.
To those whose memory goes back thirty or iorty
years II is not Of the least Significant indlcatohs
Of tho changes which have passed upon the country that
the biography of Frederick Douglass should. quite
naturally and as matter Of course appear in series
OF American Rcformers. We'll might the Christian sen
accnarian cxclaim, Behold what God hath wrought!
in considering such Incident; yet the LIE OF inc
man-oncc q chattel-s Ear more Impressive IanomarN
Of the great convuson which removed National
rcproach Mr.. Holland has written this Interesting
volume with an aboundlng supply OF that righteous
enthusiasm which the subject inevitably inspires In
all who have not the humiliation OF remembering that
they were the wrong side in that tremendous s'us
gle II is perhaps fortunate that mems memories arc
not tenacious nor their impressions very durabe lor
were the case different not only Southern but Norhern
coascienccs would even to this day render their owners
nneasv for the evils condoned. the wrong deferred 70
for lucres sake In the times that tried mems sohs'
The career of Frederick Douglass, however nced hoO
he entanged with the shamefulness OF that peod save
as IL reacted upon him. His appearance may "eh
be thought to have been providentiay timed as par.
of the movement which, through varied agents ana
agencies TO prepare the way for ule o'o"''i"e
measure-the Emancipation Proclamation.
There could not have been more striking ana con-
vincing argument against slavery than the uhs'uuon
but magnifcent oratory OF this fugitive slave consul
tutcd one OF the stock pretences OF the savehouer
had been the mental inferiority of the negro Hero
was a man. born and reared In slavery, dened every
means of education, yet who by his native Wit ana
Intellectual force had cultivated his NINA tal c
could speak equal terms with orators Ike Wehueh
Phillips. could write in pure and cogeht hnsns"'
could demean himself everywhere as gentleman
And this was little compared to the significance OF MS
attitude on the platform He represented three mhhoS
of yoiceiess slaves lie from the plantation Win
the scars Of the ovcrseers whip still fresh OH HIS
hack 10 tell the basey cOnsentng North what slavery
was and what it involved; and he did this, not WIN
the stammering tongue Of the Systematically degraueu
victims, but with all the fire and Iervor, all INC
srectness penetration and eoquence, the most gifted
white advocate could have employed in the nooiest
nj causes. II his orat0ry was gall ana WorHl"Oou
10 the South it surely modification Tor the Nor'
Dut the Northern conscience was not dead; IL only
SILENT: and the fervd eloquence of Fred Douglass was
potent stimulus it from its drugsed SUMMERS
AS ~ 10 emphasize still the monstr0us lnlQuly
OF slavery moreover, this personal sufferer from 'ho
institution, this man who knew what II was 10 DC
the property of others, exhibited greater moderauon'
and better reasoned judgment, In carrying on the
warfare against slavery, than was shown by some
white Abolltonlsts whose acquaintance with tbs
evil was only indirect.
Nothing indeed can be more natural, nay, one mSht
say more justlfabe, than that Donglass fresh rom
the insult icnomny and abuse OF slavery sho1d nave
5oined himself to those who denounced slaFcrypfo-
covenant with hell. For time the explosive hatred
of the Garrsonians for the system which paralyzed
their efforts involved the fugitive, and nc too Taseo
his volce-wth higher warrant than they conld
possess-against Union which depended upon such
conditions But this mood did not last ana the lact
shows that the mind Of Douglass was growing ana
developing one. The day came when lie could no
longer subscribe to the GarrsOnian doctrines OF as
union; when he even took new view Oh the
Constitutional implications; when, in the opinion OF MS
first Northern associates, he became backsider ana
renegade. Perhaps broad survey of the situation
differences of this kind did not matter greatly The
principal harm they did in raising dissension be-
tween members OF the AntiSlavery body which tended
IN weaken their efforts To thTesh out again the old
controversy as 10 which was right and which wrong
would be Improbable, and we, who reverence all the
foes of Slavery and who believe that all their work
was necessary the end shall not attempt to behtte
any of these noble souls by nsttuting nvidous COM
parsons 1t was the Age of Martyrs, and if the forms
OF maryrdom were various the merit Of the sufferers
was equal They were brave men and women In
time Of prevailing cowardice true men and women in a
time of prevailing fasehoOd and hypocrisy unselhsh
men and women in time Of prevailing seihshness
and shameful sOrdld greed
The position taken by Fred. Douglass was con-
ciatory Vet not compromising 1t increased his In
uence and diminished the prejudice against him that
prejudice which, though partly resting upon the ignobe
color feeling yet grew mainly ont of the hurt to vanity
done to his by white men, Most OF us dislike those
we have injured and like those have benefited, and
because we were all participants in the outrage upon
the colored people could not tolerate their dusky
hue. AS Douglass found in England, Ireland Scot
land and France the color prejudice did not exist in
Europe The negro excited no repulsOn there, and was
subjected TO taboos. To-day in the United States
the old miserable color prejudice subsists, notwth-
standing the fact that substantial justice has been
done TO the negro by the North Perhaps the latter
feels that the account is not yet settled however, and
that the negro, being stl creditor, merits only con-
tempt and ostracsm. Poor Douglass had enough OF
both his active passed in quite another
atmosphere.
The salient points of that career are too well known
70 render necessary any sketch, however slight of IT,
Speaker, editor, lecturer he proved power everywhere
No mob could daunt and few could silence him. His
bratOrical gifts not perhaps Of tie very highest
order, but they were remarkable. lie spoke best
tempore His written efforts, though polished,
less fervent and effective He had a logical mind, and
could debate well. The fugitive slave held his own in
ell companies in short and compelled respect and ad
miraton even from the enemies of his race. lie was
On active and influential instrument in the great
cipation, and when 1t accomplished he Of course
shared In tho disappointment which inevitably follows
such prolonged stress and strain. Emancipation thus
appeared be after all but the first step in long
chain Of measures and IL seemed doubtful for time
whether the movement might not halt at this Initial
point. But Douglass stOOd lOyaly Dy HIS race, ana
helped forward every subsequent effort for tho I'M
provement Of their condition. An old man now, no
cannot expect the full fruiton of his hopes and
prayers, but he may already perceive that Time is
wording for the freed people, and that one by one the
barriers being burned His story illustrates
at once the glory and the shame Of the country and IL
shows against difficulties in the teeth of what for
midabe resistance the advance Of civilization has to be
made.