The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1913-02-08
FROM SLAVE BOY
TO STATESMAN
How Frederick Douglass Rose
From 0bscurity to Fame.
MAN OF pRINCELY VIRTUES

Events In the Life OF the Great Anti.
slavery Orator Which Fired His Am
bition and Made His Teachings Ef.
fective-Pieaded Cause Of Self anc
Race EloquentIy.
Great men are always a part of g
great movement. They are called into
the world to play an important part in
the arena Of thought and action. Few
Of them, however, are blessed with
the span Of life which enables them IT,
witness the triumphant consummation
Of their cause, as was the case OF
Frederick Douglass. But for the birth
of Frederick Douglass In Tuckahoe
Nd, In 1917, that obscure village
In Talbot county would hardly be
known. His early surroundings were
such as characterized every slave boy
who witnessed the inhuman treatment
of fellow slaves and heard stories OF
the capture Of their foreparents in
Africa.
The events in the life of Douglass,
his transference to Baltimore, to St
Michae,s; his experience with the
slave breaker Edward Covey and
his escape from slavery in 1888. when
he assumed the name Of Douglass
partly to hide his identity and partly
as milestone" in his new life Of
freedom, are well known. His lee
lures under the Anti-slavery society at
conventions and private gatherings,
both In America and Europe; his pub
lication Of his newspapers; his "life
narrative" my Bondage and Ny
Freedoms" his Life and Times" place
Frederick Douglass before the Ameri
can public, and indeed before the
world, as one of its effective teachers.
Some will deny him the title, saying
that he was not product of the
schools; that he kept no school and
could not In any sense be called an
educator. II by an educator is meant
one whose activities are confined to the
narrow regimen Of the schoolroom
Douglass was not an educator. but II
we mean by the term one who carries
within himself the princely virtues o!
the great teachers Of mankind, who Il
an inspiration to all men by Ills words
aud work. who had knowledge and
sympathy, interest, enthusiasm anC
aptitude for vicariousness, then Fred
erick Douglass was In every way an
educator.
He believed in the potentiality of
every child born into the world, wheth-
er white or black. He believed that
God had not bestowed his best endow
ments upon any single race or nation,
and so he wrought for himself and his
race to make actual what was poten-
tial. Mr.. Douglass, like true educa-
tor, was a man of large vision. Where
there Is no vision the people perish.
Brutalized himself by American slav.
cry, he sought to aid in the overthrow
of the Ubiquitous system.
When, therefore, the opportunity pre-
sented itself he threw himself with en-
thuslasm into the anti-slavery struggle
and lost no opportunity to teach men
Its horrors and to rouse them to its
hatred by his burning words. In Eng
land and America he pleaded his own
and the cause Of his people with weep
ing words and eloquent tears and be-
came perhaps the mightiest single
force In teaching the iniquities of slav-
cry because he had been part Of It.
Douglass believed In his selfhood and
In his own possibilities, and out Of the
horrors Of slavery he tried to- rehabili.
tate the divine image stamped upon
him. He made his good instincts self
conscious. He taught lofty notions Of
personal. social and political life. He
was discontented with whatever was
on low plane. He reached the noun.
tain heights because he scared like an
eagle that bathes its wings in the noon
day sun. No one could see Frederick
Douglass, with his head rising like
snow capped peak" above those about
him, without feeling the influence Of
bis presence.
Frederick Douglass was never asharn.
ed Of his color. He believed In his
black mother. his dark hued wife and
attributed much of his success To his
contact with them. He believed that
he was part Of great race whose dc
yelopment had been retarded by IN
toward conditions. but who when their
chains were once broken and their
complete emancipation insured would
rise up and demonstrate the divinity
with which they were clothed. Doug
lass, like every true educator, was an
honest patriot. He loved his country.
When the civil war broke out he of.
fered his two sons to his country's
cause, while he himself served 1t with
is eloquence.