Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1895-02-22
STORY OF DOUGLASS CAREER.
Born Slave, His Life Dedicated to the
Advancement of His Race.

Mr.. Douglass was born at Tuclsahoe.
Talbert county, Md, in 1917, SO that at
the time of his death he was in his sew
enty-eighth year. Of his origin but lit
tie is known beyond the fact that he
was the son of slave woman and her
master. Until the age of ten he work
ed as slave on the plantation of his
owner and then was sent to Baltimore,
where he was hired by the proprietor
of shipyard. BY persistent and clan
destine effort he learned to read and
write, and, making good progress in his
occupation, soon earned good wages
for his master. He, however. received
but a small pittance, every penny of
of which was devoted to the satisfac-
ton of his craving for an increased
knowledge.
After working in a shipyard for elev-
en- years he took advantage Of an op-
portunity afforded-and the under
ground railroad-and fled to New Eng
land Being an expert shipwright he
naturally made his way to a seaport
town and found work at New Bedford,
Mass. Here he married and establish
ed himself, having obtained permanent
employment in a shipyard.
After four or five months residence
in New Bedford he was induced to be-
come a subscriber to the Liberator, ed
tied by William Lloyd Garrison. Soon
after he was privileged to listen to
lecture in Liberty Hall by Mr.. Garrison,
who at that time was the leader of the
abolition movement, and heard him de-
clare that prejudice against color is
rebellion against God" From that mo-
ment Douglass dedicated his life to that
cause in which he afterward became
famous-the liberation of his own race.
The foundation of the education laid
while working as slave in Baltimore
stood him in good stead. As boy he
had manifested a strong disposition to
oratory, a thing not uncommon to peo-
pie of his race, but which in him was
developed to remarkable degree. One
of the first books to be purchased with
the pitiful savings during his slavery
days was the Columbian Orator. for
which he paid so cents, the sum total of
his possessions. OF theva of this book
to him IL after life Mr.. Douglass in his
memoirs, says:
Lesson of One Book to Him.
ssThis volume was indeed a rich
treasure, and for time every oppor-
tunity afforded me was spent in dill
igently perusing it. Among much
other interesting matter that which /
read again and again with unfagging
satisfaction was a short dialogue be-
tween the master and his slave. The
slave is represented as having been
recaptured in a second attempt to run
away, and the master opens the dialogue
with an upbraiding speech, charging
the slave with ingratitude, and demand
ing to know what he has to say in his
own defense. The slave reJoins that he
knows how little anything that he can
say will avail, seeing that he is COM
pletely in the hands of his owner, and
with noble resolution calmly says, Il
submit to my fate Touched by the
slaves answer, the master insists upon
his further speaking, and recapitulates
the many acts of kindness which he has
performed toward the slave, and tells
him he is permitted to speak for him
self. Thus invited, the quondom slave
makes spirited defense for himself,
and thereafter the whole argument for
and against slavery was brought out.
The master is vanquished at every turn
in the argument, and, approaching the
fact, he generously and meekly eman-
cipates the slave with his best wishes
for his prosperity.
''It is unnecessary to say that a
dialogue with such an origin and such
an end, read by me when every nerve
of my being was in revolt at my own
condition as slave affected me most
l could not help feeling
that the day might yet come when the
well-directed answers made by the
slave to the master in this instance
would find counterpart in my own
''This, however, was not all the IA
which | found in the 'Colum-
ban Orator. i met there one of Sheri
dams mighty speeches on the subject of
Catholic emancipation, Lord Chat
hams speech on the American war,
and speeches by the great William Pitt
and by Fox. These were all choice
documents to me and l read them over
and over again with an interest ever in
creasing because it was ever gaining
an intelligence. The more read them
the better | understood them. They
added to my limited stock of language
and enabled me to give tongue to many
thoughts which had often
flashed through my mind and died
away for want of words in which to
give them utterance. The mighty