The Washington herald., 1909-02-07
Bv BooKER T. wAsHIxGroN.

near the Virginia plantation wrere was
born was that OF Abraham Lincoln. who.
forty-six years ago last month, signed
the proclamation which set my people
free.
The circumstances under which I first
Heard the name Of the great emancipation
were these: When the war broke out
was small boy or plantation in
Franklin County. in the Southwestern cor
ner Of Virginia We were living IN a re-
mote part OF the country and. although
the war was going on all around us, We
saw little Of it. except when We saw
them brought back sgain-as We did
sometimes-dead-
Ny neither was the cook on our planta-
ton and as I grew up and was able TO
make myself useful my work was TO at
tend my masters table az meal time In
the dining room there was an arrange
ment by which a number Of fans that
hung TO the rafters over the table could
be moved slowly back and forth by pull
ing string. It was my business 70 work
these fans al meal time and that. as
remember. was the first work I ever did
As result, however. I was present at
all the meals and heard all the CONVEX
sation that went on there. incidentally
1 heard a great deal about the causes
and the progress Of the war. and though
1 understood very little OF what heard,
there was one name that stuck fast IL my
memory and that was the name Of Alb
raham Lincoln The reason that / re-
membeTed this name more than the
others was because II was the one name
/ that I encountered at the big house,
which I heard repeated in different tones
and with different significance in the
cabins CT the slaves.
I Many a night before the dawn OF day !
have been awakened 10 find the figure OF
my dear mother bending over me as 1
I Law huddled up in q corner OF the kitchen.
praying that ''Marse Lincoln" might sue
/ ceed. and that some day I might be free
1 Under these circumstances the name OF
/ Lincoln made a great impression upon
me and I never forgot the circumstances
under which first heard It.
Attracted by Lincoln.
Among the masses Of the negro people
on the plantations during the war. all
/ their dreams and hopes of freedom were
( in some way or other coupled with the
name Of Lincoln When the slaves sang
those rade plantation hymns. in which
/ thoughts OF heaven and salvation were
mingled with thoughts Of freedom. I sus-
/ pect they frequently confused the vision
OF the Saviour with that OF the ensnci-
pator, and so salvation and freedom came
/ 10 mean some times pretty much the same
l thing.
! There IS an old plantation hymn that
runs somewhat ss follows:
Wen soon b frue-
I Wei so0u be free.
whsa &c Lord VII cal - hone.
Nv b-udder. bow long.
/ Ny hre55er. hoF l0-g.
Fore re done slEsriu' hcTs!
L won't be long
u won't ~ iCrE.
Foye De Io7d WI call us hCzs-
When that song was first sung the free
dom Of which L speaks was the freedom
that comes after death. and the home
10 which il referred was heaven After
the war broke ont. however the slaves
began 10 sing these freedom songs with
/ greater venemence. and they gained a
new and more definite meaning To such
an extent was this the case that in
/ Georgetown, 6. G. g Is said that negroes
were put in Jail for singing the song
which I have quoted
When Lincoln. in April. 1875. entered
Richmond Immediately after II had been
evacuated by the Confederate armies the
corored people. 10 whom Il seemed almost
as II the last day" had come. greeted
the strange kindly figure Of the President
as II ne had been their Saviour instead Of
merely their lberator-
There Is a story Of one old Aunty who
had sick child IN her arms when the
President passed through the city The
child was alarmed at the surrounding
not. and was crying to come home. but
the good woman kept trying 10 get the
child TO gaze 81 the President. which Shs
was afraid 10 DO. and she would Try 70
turn the chud's head IN that direction,
end would turn around herself in order &c
accomplish the same object
See yah, honey" she would say. look
at de Saviour. an you viii git well. Touch
the hem OF his garment. honey. an yuI
pain will be done gone"
How Much IL Owes Him.
As the years havesg gone by we have al
Learned, white people and colored people
North and South. how much the country
as whole owes 10 the man who liberated
the slaves There is no one now. North
or South. who believes that slavery was
a good thing. even for those who seemed
to profit most by it; but hard and crue
as the system frequently was IN the cas-
Of the black man. the white man suffered
quite az much from the evils il pro
duced In order 10 hold the negro II
slavery It was necessary 70 keep him II
ignorance. The result was that the Soutf
condemned Itself. not merely % employ
none but the poorest and most expensive
labor, but what was worse. TO use al Is
higher Intellectual moral. and religion.
energies in defending. before the world
its right 10 hold another race. not merely
IN a condition Of ignorance but OF mora
and spiritual degradation.
There Is no task that sn individual o'
q people can undertake which IS so un
grateful and so certain. IN the long run
20 fail. as that OF holding down another
individual or another race that IS trying
TO rise. It is not possible. you know. fOl
an individual TO hold another individual
down in the gutter without staying dowT
there with him So It is not possible fo'
one race to devote large share OF Il:
time and attention to keeping anothe,
race down without losing some time and
some energy that might otherwise have
been used in raising itself higher in thC
scale Of civilization
South Ont of Touch.
Under the influence OF slavery the South
was fast getting out OF touch and syn
pathy with all the generous. upbuilding
and civilizing influences OF the world.
Abraham Lincoln. in giving freedom 4
the black man. who was a slave. gav'
II at the same time to the white man
who was free. He not merely loosenec
the enslaved forces OF nature N the
Southern States. but he ennancipated the
whole United States from that sections
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