The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-09-06
FRED DOUGLASS TO-DAY.
The Career of the Eminent AFRO
American Citizen.
HIS PRESENT HAPPY HOME LIFE.
Fow Mon in American History Arc
Surrounded With Moro of tho
Romance That Delights and In.
structs Young and old.--His Home
at washington-..His FavOrite' Au'
thors...His Library

T. lNeW lOTE huVENeIs
Just beyond the eastern branch on
the outskirts Of Washington, embow.
cred in magnificent cluster OF oaks
which have withstood the fierce. tenn
pests Of many winters, is the home OF
Frederick Douglass.
Few names in American history are
surrounded with more Of the romance
that delights the youthful and instructs
the old than that OF this man, born q
slave on tho eastern shore OF Maryland
rhree-quarters Of century ago. lie
has been the center Of everSvicissitude.
The conadant of William, Lloyd Garri'
son, he was none tho less the peer Of
Wendell Phillips in the oratory which
aroused tho public conscience to its
sense OF duty and led ultimately to the
enfranchisement of race. He was
present, practically, at the birth oil az
gressive anti.slavery agltation; no
watched with interest the birth OF the
Free Soil party, and when the Repub-
lican party first saw the light OF day,
with its face firmly set against tile
further extension OF slave territory and
the insolent domination OF the, slave
power, he clapped his hands for Joy;
AS a slave he first gained his freedom
by strategy. As an oratorin the anti
slavery convention he spoke as one
having authority-as one into whose
soul had entered the steel of unutter-
able sorrows. As a freeman and q citi-
zen the spect of mankind has been
heaped upon his head, and public trusts
Of great honor have been laid in his lap
BY a grateful party and sanctioned by
the approving amens OF great nation.
In his old age, with his wife and chill
dren and grandchildren about him, he
rests in the evening OF his lifo from his
labors, as one who has borne the heat
and the burden OF the day, in villa
that is the finest and one Of the most
desirable in the republic, villa whose
original proprietor stipulated in the
deed OF transfer that the property
should never be owned by a descendant
OF tho African race.
Fred Douglass is a venerable, a PIC
turesquc and historical character, IN
whom the general public will always
have certain interest.
81 am an old man now" said Mr.
Douglass, as he looked afar over the
navy ward and rested his vision on the
towering shaft of the Washington mon
ument outlined against the southern
sky, "From this vantage ground have
magnificent view of the most magnlti-
cent city on thecontinent, and Iviewalso
the history OF the country for a half a
century, as we'll as history as it trans
pires from day to day.
Elbow do spend my time? l rise at
5 in the morning, walk over my grounds
and spend most Of the day in answering
large correspondence; in reading OF
nv fayorite authors, and in writing an
occasional article for newspaper or a
magazine. In the afternoon l usually
40 for drive.
6Who are my favorite authors?
Among the poets, Shakespeare. Byron,
Burns, Bryant, Whittier and Long
fellow. Among prose writer's, Hugo,
especially Les Miserables' and the
groilers of tho Sea- the works OF Sir
Walter Scott, especially 'Ivanhoe;'
Charlotte Bronte and Alexander Dumas,
especially The Musketeers' and The
Count Of Monte Cristo.' l have Il
French edition Of the latter, in three
volumes, which much prize. 1regard
Theodore d. Yields Slavery as 1t Is as
the most powerful work of its kind
written in the anti-slayery cause. OF
couree, also read those things i'll cur
rent literature of contemporaneous in
terest and the standard authors in his
tory and social and political science.
Oh, yes; I find plenty to occupy my
time. There are plenty OF draughts
ipon II, can assure you.
elbow long have lived here? 1have
lived in Washington twenty years, i'll
teen Of them here ut Cedar Hill. Before
i came here / lived at New Bedford
three years, at Lynn five, at Rochester
twenty-five.
IT was first married fifty-four years
ago." said Mr.. Douglass. my first wife
died ten years ago, and two years there
after married my present wife. The
fact is, l look upon my life, as whole,
while it has some rough places in it, as
having been singularly happy"
Mr.. Douglass is somewhat OF violin
list He learned to manipulate the in.
strument in his youth. When the
Young folks Of Washington gather
about him at his Cedar Hill home, Gs
they often do, no frequently accom-
panics some expert pianist OF them
with the violin to the general satisfac.
ton Of his guests. Mr.. Douglass is
very fond OF young people and their
society. His grandson, Joseph, in:
heFits Mr.. Douglass musical gifts, and
Is not only professional yiolinist, but
has written some excellent scores.
Joseph is Mr.. Douglass favorito grand
child.
Mr.. Douglass laughinsly acknowl.
edged that in his youth he was guilty OF
perpetrating some verse, all OF which
was destroyed when the files of his
paper were burned. In tho white heat
Of tho anti-slavery agitation he wrote u
poem, only ono stanza OF which he
could recall. This he recited to me in q
voice and accentuation which made II
sound grand aud heroic, give the
etAnza here:
The pathway OF tyrants Is over volcanoes;
Tho very air they breathe Is heavy with Sorrows;
Agonizlng heart throbs convulse them while
And the wind whispers death as over thon
sweeping.
In his extensive and select library ]
saw splendid busts OF Feuerbach and
Strauss. One OF the most striking en-
cravings on the walls OF the library is
one OF Joseph Cincque, the chief Of the
Amistad Captives. An etching Of Wen
dell Phillips when hewas young man
d much priced by Mr.. Douglass as a per
sonal gift from the great orator. A
steel engraving Of William Lloyd Gar.