The Hawaiian gazette., 1899-06-23
So Says du Bots, Phi: D.,
of the Negro Race.
History Of the Coiorsd People OF
America In its Relations to tho
Modern Worlds Record.

III lulTOuuclns HIS SuDJeCt W HIS uu-
dience DR.. Du Bots said that his aim
was not SO much to add to their his
tprical knowledge as to place the his
tory Of the American Negro in its
proper relations to the history Of the
modern world, and to show how II is
that today new nation stands on the
threshold of the twentieth century.
His object wos threefold; first, he de-
sired to explain how the African race
came to leave It's fatherland; second,
to follow the transplanted Negro to
the West Indies, and there study the
effect upon him of the low colonial
civilization of Europe; and third, to
investigate his condition in the period
Of "serfdom" which has succeeded
emancipation, and to inquire in re-
gard to his ultimate destiny.
In tracing the causes which led to
the beginning of the African slave
trade, the lecturer painted vivid pic
ture Of the Renaissance in Europe
the Transformation of the sloth and
ignorance of the dark ages into the
vigor and intense activity Of the If
teenth and sixteenth centuries. This
awakening did not, however. affect the
lower classes Of the people, but, leav-
ing them in the darkness of virtual
slavery, gave rise to an age of mighty
leaders-"an age championed not by
the masses, but by kings and heroes"
1t was but natural, therefore, that
Prince Henry, the Navigator, moved
by the new spirit of adventure, should
nent Of Africa; and penetrating into
this massive walled fortress" which
had for centuries, through it's natural
barriers, closed its doors to the civil
ization Of the world, should open the
way to the Inauguration of the slave
trade, that terrible curse of modern
life-"the heart disease Of Africa"
Although slavery existed among the
primitive Negro tribes, it was Of a
mild and easy type. and the captive
could rise to full citizenship in the
tribe Of his adoption. Far different
from this was that slavery under for
eign masters, which had It's small be-
ginning In 1442, when ten Negro slaves
and some gold dust were given to the
Portuguese as a ransom for captured
Moors. One result Of the traffic thus
begun by the Arabs was the utter ex-
and half-civilized tribes in the interior
of Africa; for the new-found power Of
gold as a medium of exchange. excit-
ing the cupidity OF men, caused con-
tinuous demand for cheap laborers to
work the gold mines in the Eldorado
beyond the seas, and firmly establish
ed the slave trade as q part OF the
worlds commerce. The annual levy of
Negroes for the mines In Hayti, Cuba,
Jamaica and Porto Rico soon reached
1000. and rapidly increased during the
sixteenth century, when the Dutch and
English ruled the seas, until. in the
last two decades Of the seventeenth
century, 100000 slaves were shipped
to America; and between 100 and
1856. 100000 were sent to the one ISL
and Of Jamaica, and 100000 more to
America. In 1891 they were being
poured into the new continent at the
rate Of 10000 year. On the coast Of
Africa stood forty slave pens for the
human cattle, across the blue water Of
the Atlantic two hundred and fifty
ships hurried every year into the
West; for four hundred years sharks
followed the hurrying ships; for four
hundred years the coasts Of America
were strewn with the living and dy-
ing; for four hundred years Ethiopia
held out her hands to God"
The demand for slaves in the trop-
ical islands came first from Spanish
adventurers who. seeing In colonial
ton only a means for the spread OF
the Catholic faith, and for gratifying
their lust for gold, thought themselves
justified in bringing about these ends
by the utmost barbarity and fanati-
cism. The French who settled In His
PAMELA were little better, establishing
rule Of debauchery and oppression.
Even the Dutch and English. looking
upon the colony as temporary finan-
cial investment, were at first animated
by the idea that slavery was justihable
because II was typical OF the wrath OF
God against the unregenerated pa
gan" When the supply OF gold gave
out and the demand OF the Spanish for
slaves began to decline. II became evil
dent that nothing but the permanent.
establishment Of the institution OF
slavery would bring about oontinu'
Gus demand TOR slaves. hence the be-
sianlaa - tAa .ass. A. asal.l ataoa An