The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-02-22
Douglas On
!. j. !. Prejudice
ANNIVERSARY OF BIRTH RE.
CALLS HIS ABLE AtTICLk.
. RI = on "COI.OR LINE"
A|EFs n Il 2 .-f.t ...> .~ I.-. 3. a. .. .
Sa d To Be Interior
Yet Negro, Then as Now, Caused
Wild Apprehension Lest He In
Some Way Managed to Get the
(nncr- Hand. ...


! tnpcr- Hand.
The ninetS-ffth anniversary Of the
| birth OF Frederick Douglas, tho
grand old man and champion Of hui
man liberty, occurred Wednesday OF
last week. He was born in Talbot
| county, Maryland, ~ February Id,
| lSl7. He was brought to Baltimore
at an early age and bound out to
| a family named Auld. l. Having learn
ed to read and write, he soon learn
led to abhor his enslaved condition,
and ran away to the North. He f.
nally attracted the attention of lead
ers Of the slavery cause, and soon
became one OF the foremost orators
at abolition meetings. After the
emancipation one honor after anoth-
fer was bestowed upon him, and he
died in 1895, one Of the most honor
led men Of his time. ~ e.. -.-.. =
Always fighter against race pref
udice, and himself ~great example
'of the possibilities Of the Negro, an
article on the "Color: Line written
by him and which appeared in the
North American Review. Of June, 49,
81 may be interesting to those who
think OF the prejudices that the Me-
gro has to undergo in this. country
today ~~ '..s ....' w. .
Few Evils" he says in the article
are less accessible to the force OIL
reason or more tenacious Of life and
power; than tong-standing -preju-
dice. 1t Is moral disorder, which
creates the conditions necessary TO
its own existence, and fortifies Itself
by resisting all contradictions 4. 1t
paints hateful picture according to
It's own displeased Imagination, and
distorts the features of the fancie{l
original to suit the portrait, AS those
who believe In the visibility Of ghost
an aasasAs4.~
easy to see repulsVe qualities in
those we despise and hate. Though
eight hundred yeaRs have passed.
since NormaH-~peWer entered Eng
land. and the Saxon has for centuries
been giving his learning, literature,
his language and his laws to the
world more successfully than any 9TH
er people on the globe, men in that
country still boast their Norman
|origin and Norman perfections. The
superstition of former greatness ser
yes to fill out the shrivelled sides Of
a meaningless race pride which
holds over after it's power has van
iShed.
"Statemen Of the South will tell
you that the Negro is too ignorant
and stupid properly to exercise the
elective franchise, and yet his great
est offense Is that he acts with the
only party y-inteHigent- enough in the
eyes Of the nation to legislate for
| the country. In one breath IT, ~ tell
us that the Negro is so weak in in
| tellect, and SO distitute Of manhood,
| that he Is but the echo Of designing
men, and yet in another they will
virtually tell you that the Negro Is
SO clear in his moral conceptions, SO
firm In his purpose, so steadfast in
| his convictions, that he cannot be
persuaded by arguments or intimi-
ldated by threats, and that nothing
lbut the shotgun can restrain him
lfronl~ voting ~for-the~ men and-meas-
ures he approves. They shrink back
in horror from contact with the Ne
gro as gentleman, but like him
very we'll as barber, waiter, coach
man and cook AS Il slave lie could
ride anywhere side by side, with hi!
master, but as a freeman he must
be thrust into the smoking car. AS
a slave he could go into the first
cabin: as a freeman he could not
go abaft the wheel. Formerly II
was crime against the State for
jaDy man to teach him to, read.
To-day GSS1) els said to be orig
ipally and permanently inferior to
the white race, and yet wild ;f)prc-
tensions are expressed less six mil
lions Of this inferior race will some
how manage TO rule over thirty-fvc
million Of the superior race. If in
consistency can prove the hollow
ness Of anything, certainly the emp
tiness Of the pretense that color has
amy terrors is easily shown The
trouble is that most men, and cSDec-
tally mean men, want to have some
thing under them