Year: 1867




No one who thinks at all can avoid
thinking of the freedmen in this country.
Notwithstanding the Ott-repeated boast
that 'this is the white mans govern
ment," it is fact that there are several
millions of black men in the country.
They are now tree-ignorant, oppress-
ed, hated, it is true, but free-and free
men will be something, will do some
thing A free man and slave are very
different beings. We have talked for
more than half a century Of what free
men can and may do; we have invoked
the esprit of Freedom;" we have dem
onstrated that freedom is power-the
condition of development We have
philosophical; and now we can not re-
verse our philosophy. Color Of skin has
nothing to do with mental philosophy.
We do not say that negro is better
than a white man; but we have seen
sonic negroes better than some white men.
1t is the quality Of the man, not the col
or, that we admire. The writer began
to think in a slave State, and confesses
to considerable prejudice in favor of the
white man but he thinks the following
propositions worthy of consideration.


l.. The freedmen form the basis of an
element of intellectual strength in this
country. How great the capacity OF
the negro is-whether equal to or infe-
rior to the white man-it is not neces-
sary to discuss. The negro has mind


it is capable of development. He is
trying to learn; he will learn. Free
dom, the opposition of caste, the neces-
sity of demonstrating his manhood, all,
will help him. Do we not see the work.
ing of all this? Are not the trials of
the negro in this country disciplining
hint Does luxury alone develop men?
The slavery and toll of several genera
tions have broken the spirit of the ne
gro; the most of them of this genera
ton will die as they have lived-de-
based. Tile father may die IN tie wilier-
ness but the children and the young men
with hardened sinews, rugged physical
forms, with brave Joshuas for leaders,
will repeat history again, Its the same
story over and over again. The culti-
waited Roman hardly expected that the
rugged Saxon would even think loud
enough for the world to hear. The
mental temperament of the negro differs
from that of the White man. The tex
ture of his brain-as some say--may
differ from that of the white man; but
it is brain for all that. Mental charac-
teristics fully developed simply vary the
manifestations of intellectual strength.
The lover of justice may be lawyer
and Judge; the close observer histo-
rian; the man of fervid Imagination and
of love of the beautiful, poet-knd
differs from degree. Because a white
man is something, it is not necessary to
insist that a black man is nothing.
Shall a white man be so cowardly as to
fear to. face remote possibilities Z? Then


let him not look Langston, the black
lawyer, in the face.


2 The foolish prejudice against the
negro is destined soon to pass away.
Such prejudice is toolishi for if the ne
gro is so worthless, SO inferior in point
Of nature, no smart white man need be
afraid Of an impossible equality In such
case the only danger is that the white
man viii go down, not that the negro
will come up. The present treatment
of the negro is prejudice; for he is
judged before he is tried This preju-
dice will pass away; for the freedmen
will prove themselves men, free. Men
may for two thousand years be preju-
diced against a sadbe--it can not be any
thing else but snake. But a negro
can demonstrate the qualities of man;
and men cannot always hate true man
hood. We do not expect men to hold
prejudice against men as long as they do