The guardian., 1952-02-09

Ing w Enutll anu
James Monroe and VIM. White
Travelled with him thru Rhode Island.
OF course prejudice was bad here in
the North but unless Douglass could
sit down at white mans table
where they assembled, Wendell
Phillips positively refused to sit
down.
Here Is an incident that happened
in Grafton, Massachusetts,. Douglass
was alone, meaning TO lecture in that
town, but there was no place he could
obtain to speak, no house, no hall,
no church, no market place. He says
in telling it: Determined TO speak
went to the hotel and borrowed a
dinner bell with which in hand |
passed thru the principal streets
ringing the bell and crying out,
Notice! Frederick Douglass, re-
Gently a slave, viii lecture on Ameri-
can Slavery on Grafton Common this
evening at 7 O'Clock" Those who
would like to hear of the workings
OF slavery by one of the slaves are
respectively invited to attend" This
notice brought out a large audience
after which, the largest Church in
the town was open to me-"
He had written narrative of his
life in slavery. Wendell Phillips told
him IL he were in his place he would
throw the Mss in the fire. He said
this because no fugitive slave was
safe anywhere in the United States
and IL the narrative fell in the wrong
hands, it might lead to his capture
so knowing the volume was out, his
friends decided that he had better
60 to England for while, so he set
sail Altho he could not go as cabin
passenger because of American pre-
judice, fellow passengers visited him
in his part of the ship and invited
him to their part to visit. In England
ne met the very best and educated
class. He attended the House of
Commons and listened to great ora
tors, and with VIM. Lloyd Garrison
was invited to breakfast with literary
celebrities Among those he met We're
Hans Christian Andersen and stopped
in the house with him. In Edinburgh,
Mr. Garrison, George Thompson,
James n. Buffum and Frederick
Douglass had breakfast with George
Combe, the eminent mental philoso-
pher. They also went to see Thomas
Clarkson, a great English abolitionist
who was in his s7th year. He took
Mr Douglass hand and said, God
bless you, Frederick Douglass! I
have given so years Of my life to the
emancipation Of your people and II
had so years more, they should all
be given to the same cause"
While in England Miss Ellen Rich
ardson. a member OF the Society Of
Friends, and her sister-in-law, con-
ceived the idea OF raising a fund to
free him from slavery. They found
that Mfr. Aud would take $50 pounds
(S750) for him. The sum was raised
and paid and the manumission papers
were placed in his hands in the free
country OF England.
When he returned to America, he
was no longer fugitive slave. He
was a free man.
He now began his labors for his
people He felt that the best way
to disprove their inferiority and
demonstrate h cir capacity for
a more exalted civilization was thru
the press, and he believed a news
paper edited by Colored man would
acquaint them with their own latent
powers and prove a means Of awak-
ening an interest in them. He laid
this project before his friends, and
they raised nearly $2,500 90 to start
the newspaper. His Boston friends
discouraged him. OF course The Libe-
rator was in the field and the Anti
Slavery Standard, taking up the cause
OF Colored people
So he went to Rochester, New York,
20
Star" Out here 1t would not inter-
fere with The Liberator nor the
Anti Slavery Standard. 1t cost $50 a
week to publish the North Star and
there were 300 subscribers. The paper
absorbed nearly all his means. He
was heavily in debt; he had to mort
gage his house to keep the paper
going. At this time Mrs. Julia Grif-
fiths CFofts came to his aid and in
the circulation to 1000 copies.
The name OF the paper was later
to Frederick Douglass Pa
per. William and Mary Hallowell and
other abolition friends held festivals
and fairs so that the paper might not
go under. He leeutred at night, came
back and wrote from early morning
all day for his paper June 2, 1872
his house In Rochester was burned
to the ground and very valuable pa
pers destroyed. Just a few weeks be-
fore he had been invited to send
them bound to the library of Har-
ward University.
Besides his work he was Station
Master OF the Underground Railway
and got many slaves off to Canada.
In Springfield he met and became
the friend Of John Brown, and en-
tertained him at his home in Reches-
ter He was taken into his conf
denee. He was the guest Of Harriet
Beecher Stowe at her home in An
dover.
His name was now being stamped
on American History. He plunged into
the first Lincoln campaign! Lincoln
became President. Then came the
war Slavery was to end in blood
Douglass became instrumental in the
enlisting OF two Colored regiments
by Governor Andrew. the famous War
Governor OF Massachusetts and when
President Lincoln gave permission
for recruiting them, Douglass issued
thru his paper a stirring appeal that
was copied in all the leading United
States newspapers. It exhorted his
people to rally to this call. To seize
the opportunity to strike a blow at
slavery and win the gratitude of the
country and the blessing OF liberty
for themselves and their posterity.
His two sons Charles and Lewis we're
first in New York to enlist. Lewis II.
Douglass was sergeant-M Major in the
54th Mass. Regiment and was among
the foremost fighters in the famous
battle ef Fort Wagner. James Monroe
Trotter, (father Of Vim. Monroe). a
lad Of 20, came from Ohio and Joined
the overflow 5sth Mass. Vols. and
was 1st. 1t. in II. He was wounded
in the battle Of Honey Hill.
The deeds Of these officers and
men are commemorated in the Robert
Gould Shaw Monument by St. Gau-
dehs which stands on Boston Com
mon and Beacon st. opposite the
state House. The monument attracts
visitors to Boston and BOstonians
themselves for everyday it is looked
upon or pointed out with pride Doug
lass due to the persuasion Of 1t.
James Monroe Trotter. OF the 55th.
tried to get equal pay for White