Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1907-06-20

= called -4a ahrHal-t- IN atsanee = ~
tim
This was nat . r~w sters. exeu N
tha-@ faint. FAR eeutisrira Mark TWain
K,.ssa pss--ihly Explain iili. -tEi, "a -snai-
isritF b chaFEinE ths@w aasa.us Ezvpf-
ans with Fh=iariziHg Nariau,asi- Rthif
Idea
Tie nezrn started mex aasI neck WITH
the Egyptian in the valley af the Me.
tie helpe-l n buili the tempis.s af RaHae-
-. b. p.iiisbs,l the Columns Of karnzk.
~ toii-i ~ the hundred -aseS of Theh.t-.
Bat b. gained NJ more conception of
tho=e culassai works than daI the don
KEYS whieh helPei him drag the stones.
He touched with his hands. he heard
with his ears. with his eyes he beheld
the material thing about him. but no
comprehension q the spirit which
reared those massive monuments ever
penetrated his skull Then. a. now. per-
hsp<. he merely watched the sun dial for
; o'cloek 70 eome. and listened for the
forenan's vOice. ~It's time 10 knock of. .
He Rad done his DAYS labor and no more.
Unler the hsh Of Egypt he could
build the pyramids; without higher IN
te,ligsnee TO guide him he builds a hut
Of poles
The story Of man ran on. The Assyr-
iars conquered Egypt. the Persian dy-
cane. and went their way The-e peo-
ples taught the negro nothing Of arms.
OF science or Of the moral hw.
Phoenieian galieys, with sails Of royal
purple. foated past on restless explora-
ti0ns; the negro gained M knowle.ise Of
commerce or Of navigation Mighty
Carthage rose. dominated the maritiur
World. ami fell beneath the steei-tippel
wrath OF Rome; bat neither Carthagin-
inn nor Roman had le-son for the ne
gro. northern Afriza shook with III.
tread OF Csenseric's h0ryleS returning from
the piilag~ Of Rome; the negro gsped at
the marching myriadS without T0ising
bis ambition or stirring his pulse
Gonqu>ring Mo-iens swept westward
along the Mediterranean. crossed inS9
Spain and ssbjRszted IL They bore the
Koran in one hand the sword in tie
other. building new empires and spread
ing a new civilization They left endur-
ing marks upon the entire Western
woTd-exeePt upon this ehangeless ne
gro.
New nations came out of the North.
white s4vageS from German forests. who
beat down the barriers Of Rome and
oveTran the World- Crusaders hauated
their banners along the shores of Africa.
Bonaparte fought his modern eiadiators
in the shadow of the pyramids The
negro watched them all and remained as
he was.
The black man reappeared in history
again ami again. but only as an article
% unholy commerce. Virginia enacted
the first recorded laws in restraint Of
the slave trade. which were promptly
vetoed BY successive kings Of England
The American Colonies won their in
Dependence 4 second war was fought,
and the white man freed the black
Throughout these sixty turbulent cen
turies history knew nothing Of the ne
gro. and the negro knew nothing of his
tory. He had contributed nothing TO
the onward march, anil gained nothing
from it. All the peoples CT the world
had blszoned their names upon the great
book Of the worlds events-all save one
Humankind passed through SIXTY cen
turies Of hloodshed. eonvlilsion and tute-
free. But all these centuries Of change
left no impress upon the stolid and
ehangeless negro. fmmutable as the
craven spkinz BE stood stoek<till. won
dering at these restless nations who
dreamea their eiitteTing- dreams. beyond
his Comprehension OF al ess@ted things
he alone escaped the uniyhnif uplifting,
the worldwide bettermeaf-ssaAs he vas
in the beginning. so Is he rsF. For six
thousand years he has bred and multi
piled in his jungle. That was all
Upon many obelisks of ancient Egypt
the pen and ink-stand are oftrepeated
hieTogIyphics. Six thousand years later
the negro Is disfranehised in Mississippi
because he cannot read or write De
scriptions OF him today BY such explor-
ers as Stanley, Livingstone and DuChaillu
saddle and constantly reminded of the
eoupulsers eiviiizztson 20 which he Is