Washington sentinel., 1898-04-02
TT. = ~ SENTINEL
ToussAint L'OuvertuFe: The Liber-
Rtor of Haiti.
l. a. Taylor, 1z 4" Temple Bar. +"

l. a. Taylor, 11 81 Temple Bar"
About the year I743 there was
born, in the island Of Haiti, black |
slave baby OF royal African blood. |
1t was this child who, in the last
decade Of his life, became success
sively general, commander-in-
chief. and governor of the island,
and who. finally, having incurred
the jealousy Of Napoleon Bona
parte, then First Consul. was
thrown by him into the prison in
which, by foul means, he met his
death. II is a common habit with
men, when the burden of responsi-
bility grows too heavy to be borne
with complacency, to shift it on to
other shoulders, explaining that
the part they play was not OF their
own seeking, but was thrust upon
them by destiny or by that to
which, If they are of different
turn Of mind, they will give an
other name. And, whether or not
such a disavoWal Of personal re
sponsibility is wholly to be com
mendS j, there are cases in which
it is impossible to deny it justifica-
tion. For, if the generality of man
kind have themselves to thank for
the tate which overtakes them-if
they have couIted. or at least have
svslS to meet It hall way--there are
other men who have been tr lcked
by their vocation before they were
so much as conscious of its exist
ence, and on whose unexpectant
ears the call has fallen as they were
following the plough, or sitting at
the receipt Of custom, or it may be
burying their dead.
1t was to this last class that Tous-
saint L'Ouverture, the Liberator
of Haiti, belonged. To an alto
gether exceptional degree he was
singled out for a destiny he had in
no way invited, which he had
neither anticipated nor coveted,
until the day when he was to pass
from ministering submissively to
the will of others to become him
self a ruler OF men, the saviour and
the idol OF his people, and was to
prove himself, according to the
impartial testimony of the French
agent, Roume, "a philosopher, a
legislator, a general" OF the
nature of his call he entertained no
doubts. Not Joan OF Arc herself
was more convinced of its Divine
origin. His own words reported
from memory-give an account of
the matter. "At the beginning Of
the troubles Of St. Domingo" he
said, 81 felt that l was destined to
great things. When l received the
Divine intimation l was fifty-foVr
years Of age. A necessity
was laid upon me to commence
my career. A secret voice
said 10 me, Since the blacks are
tree they need chief, and it IS l
who must be that chief, foretold by
the Able Raynal.' France
and the voice OF God" he added,
"have not deceived me"
France and God To the end.
bound, betrayed, forsaken, faith in
the last never failed him. But his
trust in France, cling to it as he
AAAsA aiA Alu Win SAGduSG anu
passionate persistence, must have
received many rude shocks. To
the conviction, profound and in
tense, that he was the instrument
and agent OF the Divine will, was
no doubt due part at least Of his
almost miraculous ascendency
over the unruly elements he was
set to govern; and to leave out OF
sight or to deny the factor of relig-
ious enthusiasm is to relinquish the
only key to the enigma presented
by his career. When the obedi-
ence OF his people was rendered to
Toussaint L'OuYerture, till lately
a slave amongst his fellow slaves,
their obedience was combined with
something Of the veneratIon due
to the representative of a higher
power; while on his part, when he
preached pity and forgiveness, and
enjoined upon a race thirsting for
blood and for vengeance the duty
Of oblivion Of past wrongs, he
spoke with the authority OF the ac-
credited and conscious amb bassador
OF heaven. "This IS the path" he
would tell his troops, unfolding to
them his policy Of conciliatIon and
mercy, (which we must all follow
to draw down upon US the blessing
Of the Lord" In their struggle
for freedom they were fighting in
a sacred cause, and, being the SOL
diers of Christ and OF God, were
soldiers whose hands must be pure
from innocent blood. And for a
time, till the mouth Of the preacher
was stopped and his voice silenced,
the gospel he proclaimed COM
PEELED the obedience OF the half
civilized masses to whom il was
addressed,
In dungeon at Joux, purposely
selected, so it has been believed,
IN order that damp and cold might
Sprove fatal to a man OF his race and
blood, Toussaint L'Ouverture
dragged out nine months Of cap
tivlty, denied so much as a hearing
in his own defence; Bonaparte
never looked upon the face of his
victim. In the misery OF that cap
tivitY he drew up, in his memoirs,
couched as they were in language
studiously temperate, a terrible |
indictment against France and the
man who was her ruler. No in |
Justice had been foo great no in