the narrative of the life-第2章

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the　hearts　of　others。　　May　his　strength　continue　to

be　equal　to　his　day！　　May　he　continue　to　〃grow　in

grace；　and　in　the　knowledge　of　God；〃　that　he　may

be　increasingly　serviceable　in　the　cause　of　bleeding

humanity；　whether　at　home　or　abroad！

　

　　It　is　certainly　a　very　remarkable　fact；　that　one　of

the　most　efficient　advocates　of　the　slave　population；

now　before　the　public；　is　a　fugitive　slave；　in　the

person　of　FREDERICK　DOUGLASS；　and　that　the　free

colored　population　of　the　United　States　are　as　ably

represented　by　one　of　their　own　number；　in　the　per…

son　of　CHARLES　LENOX　REMOND；　whose　eloquent

appeals　have　extorted　the　highest　applause　of　multi…

tudes　on　both　sides　of　the　Atlantic。　　Let　the　calum…

niators　of　the　colored　race　despise　themselves　for

their　baseness　and　illiberality　of　spirit；　and　hence…

forth　cease　to　talk　of　the　natural　inferiority　of　those

who　require　nothing　but　time　and　opportunity　to

attain　to　the　highest　point　of　human　excellence。

　

　　It　may；　perhaps；　be　fairly　questioned；　whether　any

other　portion　of　the　population　of　the　earth　could

have　endured　the　privations；　sufferings　and　horrors

of　slavery；　without　having　become　more　degraded

in　the　scale　of　humanity　than　the　slaves　of　African

descent。　　Nothing　has　been　left　undone　to　cripple

their　intellects；　darken　their　minds；　debase　their

moral　nature；　obliterate　all　traces　of　their　relation…

ship　to　mankind；　and　yet　how　wonderfully　they　have

sustained　the　mighty　load　of　a　most　frightful　bond…

age；　under　which　they　have　been　groaning　for　cen…

turies！　　To　illustrate　the　effect　of　slavery　on　the　white

man；to　show　that　he　has　no　powers　of　endurance；

in　such　a　condition；　superior　to　those　of　his　black

brother；DANIEL　O'CONNELL；　the　distinguished

advocate　of　universal　emancipation；　and　the　mighti…

est　champion　of　prostrate　but　not　conquered　Ireland；

relates　the　following　anecdote　in　a　speech　delivered

by　him　in　the　Conciliation　Hall；　Dublin；　before　the

Loyal　National　Repeal　Association；　March　31；　1845。

〃No　matter；〃　said　Mr。　O'CONNELL；　〃under　what

specious　term　it　may　disguise　itself；　slavery　is　still

hideous。　　~It　has　a　natural；　an　inevitable　tendency　to

brutalize　every　noble　faculty　of　man。~　　An　American

sailor；　who　was　cast　away　on　the　shore　of　Africa；

where　he　was　kept　in　slavery　for　three　years；　was；　at

the　expiration　of　that　period；　found　to　be　imbruted

and　stultifiedhe　had　lost　all　reasoning　power；　and

having　forgotten　his　native　language；　could　only　ut…

ter　some　savage　gibberish　between　Arabic　and　Eng…

lish；　which　nobody　could　understand；　and　which

even　he　himself　found　difficulty　in　pronouncing。　　So

much　for　the　humanizing　influence　of　THE　DOMESTIC

INSTITUTION！〃　　Admitting　this　to　have　been　an　ex…

traordinary　case　of　mental　deterioration；　it　proves　at

least　that　the　white　slave　can　sink　as　low　in　the

scale　of　humanity　as　the　black　one。

　

　　Mr。　DOUGLASS　has　very　properly　chosen　to　write

his　own　Narrative；　in　his　own　style；　and　according

to　the　best　of　his　ability；　rather　than　to　employ　some

one　else。　　It　is；　therefore；　entirely　his　own　produc…

tion；　and；　considering　how　long　and　dark　was　the　ca…

reer　he　had　to　run　as　a　slave；how　few　have　been　his

opportunities　to　improve　his　mind　since　he　broke　his

iron　fetters；it　is；　in　my　judgment；　highly　creditable

to　his　head　and　heart。　　He　who　can　peruse　it　without

a　tearful　eye；　a　heaving　breast；　an　afflicted　spirit；

without　being　filled　with　an　unutterable　abhorrence

of　slavery　and　all　its　abettors；　and　animated　with　a

determination　to　seek　the　immediate　overthrow　of

that　execrable　system；without　trembling　for　the

fate　of　this　country　in　the　hands　of　a　righteous　God；

who　is　ever　on　the　side　of　the　oppressed；　and　whose

arm　is　not　shortened　that　it　cannot　save；must　have

a　flinty　heart；　and　be　qualified　to　act　the　part　of　a

trafficker　〃in　slaves　and　the　souls　of　men。〃　　I　am　con…

fident　that　it　is　essentially　true　in　all　its　statements；

that　nothing　has　been　set　down　in　malice；　nothing

exaggerated；　nothing　drawn　from　the　imagination；

that　it　comes　short　of　the　reality；　rather　than　over…

states　a　single　fact　in　regard　to　SLAVERY　AS　IT　IS。

The　experience　of　FREDERICK　DOUGLASS；　as　a　slave；

was　not　a　peculiar　one；　his　lot　was　not　especially

a　hard　one；　his　case　may　be　regarded　as　a　very　fair

specimen　of　the　treatment　of　slaves　in　Maryland；　in

which　State　it　is　conceded　that　they　are　better　fed

and　less　cruelly　treated　than　in　Georgia；　Alabama；

or　Louisiana。　　Many　have　suffered　incomparably

more；　while　very　few　on　the　plantations　have　suf…

fered　less；　than　himself。　　Yet　how　deplorable　was　his

situation！　what　terrible　chastisements　were　inflicted

upon　his　person！　what　still　more　shocking　outrages

were　perpetrated　upon　his　mind！　with　all　his　noble

powers　and　sublime　aspirations；　how　like　a　brute

was　he　treated；　even　by　those　professing　to　have　the

same　mind　in　them　that　was　in　Christ　Jesus！　to　what

dreadful　liabilities　was　he　continually　subjected！　how

destitute　of　friendly　counsel　and　aid；　even　in　his

greatest　extremities！　how　heavy　was　the　midnight　of

woe　which　shrouded　in　blackness　the　last　ray　of　hope；

and　filled　the　future　with　terror　and　gloom！　what

longings　after　freedom　took　possession　of　his　breast；

and　how　his　misery　augmented；　in　proportion　as　he

grew　reflective　and　intelligent；thus　demonstrating

that　a　happy　slave　is　an　extinct　man！　how　he

thought；　reasoned；　felt；　under　the　lash　of　the　driver；

with　the　chains　upon　his　limbs！　what　perils　he　en…

countered　in　his　endeavors　to　escape　from　his　hor…

rible　doom！　and　how　signal　have　been　his　deliverance

and　preservation　in　the　midst　of　a　nation　of　pitiless

enemies！

　

　　This　Narrative　contains　many　affecting　incidents；

many　passages　of　great　eloquence　and　power；　but　I

think　the　most　thrilling　one　of　them　all　is　the　de…

scription　DOUGLASS　gives　of　his　feelings；　as　he　stood

soliloquizing　respecting　his　fate；　and　the　chances　of

his　one　day　being　a　freeman；　on　the　banks　of　the

Chesapeake　Bayviewing　the　receding　vessels　as　they

flew　with　their　white　wings　before　the　breeze；　and

apostrophizing　them　as　animated　by　the　living　spirit

of　freedom。　　Who　can　read　that　passage；　and　be　in…

sensible　to　its　pathos　and　sublimity？　　Compressed

into　it　is　a　whole　Alexandrian　library　of　thought；

feeling；　and　sentimentall　that　can；　all　that　need　be

urged；　in　the　form　of　expostulation；　entreaty；　rebuke；

against　that　crime　of　crimes；making　man　the　prop…

erty　of　his　fellow…man！　　O；　how　accursed　is　that

system；　which　entombs　the　godlike　mind　of　man；

defaces　the　divine　image；　reduces　those　who　by　crea…

tion　were　crowned　with　glory　and　honor　to　a　level

with　four…footed　beasts；　and　exalts　the　dealer　in　hu…

man　flesh　above　all　that　is　called　God！　　Why　should

its　existence　be　prolonged　one　hour？　　Is　it　not　evil；

only　evil；　and　that　continually？　　What　does　its　pres…

ence　imply　but　the　absence　of　all　fear　of　God；　all

regard　for　man；　on　the　part　of　the　people　of　the

United　States？　　Heaven　speed　its　eternal　overthrow！

　

　　So　profoundly　ignorant　of　the　nature　of　slavery

are　many　persons；　that　they　are　stubbornly　incredu…

lous　whenever　they　read　or　listen　to　any　recital　of

the　cruelties　which　are　daily　inflicted　on　its　victims。

They　do　not　deny　that　the　slaves　are　held　as　prop…

erty；　but　that　terrible　fact　seems　to　convey　to　their

minds　no　idea　of　injustice；　exposure　to　outrage；　or

savage　barbarity。　　Tell　them　of　cruel　scourgings；　of

mutilations　and　brandings；　of　scenes　of　pollution

and　blood；　of　the　banishment　of　all　light　and　knowl…

edge；　and　they　affect　to　be　greatly　indignant　at　such

enormous　exaggerations；　such　wholesale　misstate…

ments；　such　abominable　libels　on　the　character　of

the　southern　planters！　　As　if　all　these　direful　outrages

were　not　the　natural　results　of　slavery！　　As　if　it　were

less　cruel　to　reduce　a　human　being　to　the　condition

of　a　thing；　than