which might be purchased a small ranch hands. Those who are able to work cultinear the city of Oakland, across the bay, on vate vegetables, grapes, and other fruits, and which should be built a comfortable dwell. flowers, while the sick and cripples are tening for a home for Pedro and other poor and derly cared for in the “hospital” departfeeble people who had befriended Jack in ment. The grounds and ranch, or farm, as his time of need. we in New England would call it, form as This request of the generous-hearted man beautiful a place as can be found within was most gladly granted; and in a few hours fifty miles of the “Golden Gate.” the land was bought, and money, more than Pedro still lives, a feeble, lame old man; Jack had dreamed of, deposited in bank for and as he is wheeled on sunny days about buildings and improvements. The work the grounds of the Mansfield residence by was speedily begun, and energetically and an attendant, he almost fancies himself lord judiciously carried on. of one of those beautiful vine-growing esAnd now, overlooking the beautiful bay tates near his native Malaga in Spain. of San Francisco, may be seen the residence Bertie has grown to be a fine, tall boy. of Capt John Mansfield,—the “Capt." hav. He has been once to California since his ing been given him by the title-loving people first trip with Bartolome by water; and exof the Pacific coast. pects to visit his old friends again with a His history is known to but very few of classmate next vacation. He will never the many people who partake of his hospi- forget Jack, but loves him next to his father tality, and who are greatly interested in and mother; while Jack looks back to that him because he lost both his hands in the fearful time when he was on the brink of war of the rebellion. They call him a very despair, and wishes he could impress upon benevolent, eccentric person, and tell with all despondent souls the truth of Bertie's admiration how his doors are open to the song: unfortunate of every class and race. “God with earthly ills entwineth Hope and comfort froin above; His Yankee common sense and shrewd Everywhere His mercy shineth; ness enable him to detect imposture, and God is wisdom, God is love." the deserving always receive assistance at his Annie A. Preston. WHAT CAREER FOR THE NEGRO? The address of Colonel Preston of Lex- future in consideration of the amazing ington, Va., at the last Annual Meeting of progress it made within a hundred years the American Missionary Association, must under the influences of Southern slavery. be regarded as a paper of great importance. He quotes from Pritchard, Bowen and Sir It is important because it exhibits the views Samuel Baker, whose testimony, he affirms, of a large class of intelligent, earnest, pro- cannot be gainsaid, to exhibit the hideous gressive, liberal-minded Southern Christians, condition of the negroes as found in Africa. who, more than any others, have in their They are represented as “either ferocious hands the destiny of the colored population savages, or sensual, stupid and indolent of the South. It is my privilege to reckon creatures, scarcely elevated above animal a considerable number of this class among life, strangers to modesty, doing and allowmy friends; and from my position, it is ing things, with brutal apathy, which other impossible not to be greatly interested in nations cannot tolerate ; never feeling the views they take of the work to which disgust;" "incapable of religious feeling; " the remnant of my life is devoted. “with a nature on a level with the brute, Colonel Preston is encouraged to expect and not to be compared with the noble charthat the negro race will make progress in acter of the dog;" with “neither gratitude, 66 a pity, love or self-denial, no idea of duty, no of Livingstone bore his remains from the religion ; only covetousness, ingratitude, self- center of their savage country to the seaishness and cruelty.” With such character- coast, we may feel that the picture of their istics unmitigated, they were introduced barbarian condition is too unrelieved in its into this country two centuries ago. The blackness. But the contrast between the progress they have made, chiefly within the two pictures is essentially just; the progress last century, is illustrated by concrete ex- the negroes have made in this country is amples. Colonel Preston attended a session amazing. And now in the light of this of the Colored Baptist Association of Vir- contrast we wish to place one declaration ginia, “ with the express purpose of com- made by Colonel Preston near the close of paring it with like ecclesiastical bodies of his address. He says: “ There is no place white people.” He says, “ I found a very for them as legislators, and no room for large assembly of colored delegates going them among the whites as doctors, lawyers, through the usual routine of business in an professors, engineers, architects or artists. orderly manner, under the control of a By other pursuits they must gain their livemoderator more efficient than many a pre- lihood, and for other pursuits they must be siding officer I have seen in the chair in trained." conventions of whites. The debates were In the midst of this address, such a decspirited, sensible and practical.” Another laration seems as incongruous as a boulder example is the colored Sabbath School of dropped by glacial action, in the midst of a which Colonel Preston has been the senior fertile plain. We wish that this declaration, superintendent for twenty years, and of in its hard barrenness, stood an isolated which he says that for character of instruc- case; but similar marks and evidences are tion and discipline, and in the progress of more widespread and enduring in Southern the pupils it will compare favorably with society than are the evidences upon our any white school with which he is acquaint- Northern land of that all-powerful geological ed. Another example is found in Lexing- monument of the past. We have in Ken. ton, where the Colonel resides. There are tucky scores of colored young women who eight church edifices in the town, four of are competent to go out alone and find them belonging to white congregations. schools for themselves in strange towns, and “Of these eight,” he says, " the one that then manage and instruct them to the adreflects most credit upon the congregation miration of white commissioners; but the that erected it is the First Colored Bap wisest and best of them have not yet reached tist church. It accommodates five hun- that degree of culture which qualifies them dred hearers. It is well proportioned, taste- to ride in the same car with Anglo-Saxon fully painted, neatly finished and aisles car- women; though colored servants, without edpeted. The whole has cost not less than ucation, are always qualified to ride with $3,500. All this has been done by a con- their mistresses. Our most fashionable bargregation, every member of which is a day bers are colored men, and the elite of society laborer, with only his two hands to depend enjoy their manipulations; but the most reupon for the support of himself and family.” fined colored man in the United States is And this they did with no aid from abroad not qualified to be shaved in the same room and little from the resident white popula- with Anglo-Saxons. Our hotels are crowded tion, and without credit. with colored servants; but if the most quiet Upon such representations as these we and cleanly colored man should sit at one of can readily sympathize with Colonel Pres- the tables it would be an unpardonable inton in his conviction that the Association sult. Rev. Dr. Blank of Louisville is proud which he addressed, and every other instru- of a colored preacher, a graduate of a colmentality which would bring to this people lege and theological seminary, who belongs religion and education, has great encourage to the same Presbytery with himself, and ment to prosecute its work. As we recall attends steadily its ministerial gatherings; with what sacred fidelity the negro servants but on being asked what he would do if the ern men. a 1 dinner bell should ring while he was in con- ain country, where the average lawyer is sultation with him in his parlor, as he often barely qualified to teach a common school? was, he replied: “I should not ask him to How can we know that Colonel Preston's eat with me." Yet Dr. Blank is an excel. driver, Phil, a former slave, so ignorant that lent Christian, and a representative of the he said “fust” for first, “ole” for old, most liberal and progressive class of South- “mo” for more, “sho" for sure, “ nuff" for A fine young colored man, a enough, “fo” for before, but yet could ingraduate of Berea College, is a member of a spire and manage half a regiment of poor, teachers' association in southern Indiana by ignorant day-laborers so that they erected a virtue of his grade of certificate. At a re- capacious and beautiful church, without a cent meeting of the association, the teachers, debt, might not have become an architect, including himself, were invited to a free or colonel, or financier, if he had enjoyed dinner. He was led to a little table by him- the advantages of an early general and speself at a corner of the room; his appetite cial education ? He certainly showed more forsook him at once, and he begged to be capacity than many architects, colonels and excused from dinner. financiers we have known of Anglo-Saxon But further illustration is not needed. extraction. The fact that the North AmerAll Southern society is saturated with this ican Indian, the Hebrew, the Turk, the idea which Colonel Preston puts forward Anglo-Saxon, have preserved their race pewith such positiveness. It was the corner- culiarities, as Colonel Preston shows, and stone on which the astute Vice-President that the African will do the same, has no Stephens proposed to build the Confederacy. bearing on the assertion that “there is no It is a settled principle, established by the place for them as legislators,” etc. The usages of two hundred years, that negroes other races have been legislators where they can never be the equals of white people in have made themselves homes, and why any capacity. In all their reasoning, it may not the African, if he has capacity, nottakes the place of an axiom, and it often withstanding he retains his race character-, involves them in positions which seem very istics ? When our reasoning brings us to absurd and even ludicrous to people of a such inconsistencies and absurdities as these different education. They praise negroes may we not question the truth of our intuifor their eloquence as preachers, and their tion, our principle, our axiom, even though efficiency in controlling large ecclesiastical it has been handed down by our fathers ? assemblies, and in superintending common When we consider that an iniquitous social schools, and in rallying a poor and ignorant system for two hundred years has been people to the building of fine churches, and moulding and strengthening such ideas, for their excellent order and rapid progress should we not recall that striking passage in Sunday Schools, and for their amazing of Isaiah : “ Neither is there knowledge nor progress in civilization without schools or understanding to say, I have burned part of teachers or books or permanent family re- it in the fire, I have baked bread upon the lations; yet they know, as if by intuition, coals thereof, I have roasted flesh and eaten that they can never, with any amount of it, and shall I make the residue thereof an education and training, become qualified for abomination ? Shall I fall down to the legislators, lawyers, doctors, professors, en- stock of a tree? A deceived heart hath gineers, architects or artists. By what a turned him aside that he cannot deliver his priori reasoning can it be proven that the soul nor say, Is there not a lie in my right colored man, who presided so admirably hand?” over that large assembly of uneducated The great hindrance to the progress of the men, might not, by ten or twenty years of colored race is the prevalent belief that the education, have become qualified for a leg- negro never can, the prevalent hope that he islator in some assembly, where half the never will, and the very common fear that he members are incompetent to preside at any may rise above the condition of a servant or meeting,—or even a lawyer in some mount- a serf. It is this which checks and modifies efforts for his education and operates as a essential to enable their vision to pierce terrible incubus upon him. We encourage the cloud of ignorance and prejudice which, and stimulate our white students by remind- like a pall, hangs over them and their ing them of the great responsibilities they race. are soon to bear in state and church and the The closing paragraph of Col. Preston's business world; and of the honors and address is in the true spirit. “For the emoluments they may hope for if they are amelioration of the race, the only means faithful. Such considerations are their in- within the province of the society which I spiration and support in the long and weary have the honor to address, are education course of their education. Shall we hang and religious instruction. To justify and on the neck of the colored youth, who is stimulate the using of these means, we need buffeting the waves of prejudice and depres- not determine the ultimate destiny of these sion threatening to overwhelm him, the people.” The true mission of this society and leaden weight of an ance that neither of all its workers, is to endeavor by all approhe nor any of his race can ever become leg. priate means, and as speedily as possible, islators, lawyers, doctors, professors, jurors, to qualify this unfortunate race for the new engineers, architects, artists, or anything life upon which they have entered; and to else involving authority or much responsi- remove all hindrances to their elevation bility, so long as they remain in their native to any positions of honor and trust which land? Shall we say to them: “ By other they may become qualified to fill. Our peopursuits you must gain your livelihood and ple need to learn that a negro is no more for other pursuits you must be trained ?" offensive as an equal than as a servant. It Let us rather say to them : “You have be- is a blot on our Christianity and our repubfore you a glorious opportunity. A race lic, and a crime against humanity, that we long oppressed, degraded and despised you spurn from our presence human beings enare to lift from darkness into the glorious gaged in the same employment with ourlight of pure religion, intellectual culture, selves, but admit them to the closest proxand honorable responsibility. The conti- imity if they will consent to serve us. It is nent of your fathers is to be redeemed, and an injury and an insult to them, but far more here in your native land you are to rise harmful to ourselves. We deprecate every higher and higher in the scale of humanity, expression and every action of good men till prejudice dies away and all the positions which tends to countenance and perpetuate of responsibility and honor which you shall this relic of slavery. show yourselves competent to fill, shall be In conclusion I hardly need say that Col. open to you. We will fasten no clogs upon Preston's address has been the occasion and you, but will lend you our utmost aid to not the inspiration of this review. The roll off the burden that seems to you so object of attack is not a Christian brother, great. Cherish your highest hopes and your but a feeling, a prejudice, a principle, by brightest anticipations; and if some of them whatever name it may be called, prevalent fail be not discouraged; a brighter day is not only at the South but more inexcusably surely coming." so at the North. With us at Berea this is a The incentives to high endeavor that come vital question. If this feeling in respect to to the negroes from their past are necessarily negroes is a divinely established principle very meagre. “Oh,” exclaimed a very suc- and not a cruel, sinful prejudice a thing cessful teacher of her race in Philadelphia, to be sanctioned and not censured, to be “my people have so long been getting up fostered and not abated—then we are not good dinners for their white masters that wisely working for our country, for huthey can think of nothing but their stom- manity and for God, but are a set of deachs.” The great danger of our colored luded fanatics; and the sooner our work is youth is not that they will cherish aspira- ended or fundamentally changed the better tions that cannot be realized, but rather that for all concerned. To this sequestered spot they will lack encouragements which are among the hills in central Kentucky come annually about three hundred youth, white singers of both races, and return to their and colored, in about equal numbers. In homes filled with wonder at what they have perfect harmony they pursue their studies seen and heard, and asking whether, after together, and think it a Christian arrange- all, this is not the Christian way. Is Berea ment. On Commencement occasions two College a bright spot in the darkness or a thousand people, without distinction of color, dark spot in the light? We can afford to flock together from all the region around, wait a few years for the verdict. and listen in perfect order to speakers and E. H. Fairchild, VERSES. I. A SLEEPING giant in his cloak of grass The strong great hill that lifts against the sky; Far up with careless footsteps, you and I. Our lives are still our own to hold and guide ; Yet in it heart and consciousness abide. Great comfort in a quietness like this ;- On this great shoulder lay my head, nor miss II. It sometimes happens that two friends will meet And with a smile and touch of hands, again The loving silence gives no thought of pain. may be some quiet hour They bring a sweet assurance of the life And we grow braver for the comfort brought. Sarah O. Jewett. |