property. Nothing would induce him to use what belonged to another
person without first obtaining leave. One day, when he was mowing in the
meadows, he accidentally killed a fat partridge with his scythe. The
other workmen advised him to take it home for his wife to roast. But he
replied, "Nay, the partridge does not belong to me, it belongs to the
owner of the meadow." Accordingly he carried it to his employer. Another
time, when he was working with others in the woods, they found an empty
cabin, wherein they stowed their provisions, and lodged for a fortnight,
till they had finished cutting the timber. After William returned home
he took an early opportunity to tell the owner of the cabin what he had
done, and to offer payment for the accommodation.
He constantly attended Quaker meetings, and followed their peculiar
customs in dress and language; but he was not admitted into full
membership with that religious society till he was nearly eighty years
old, though he had made application to join it thirty years before.
He was scrupulously neat in his person. His linen was always very
white, and his light drab-colored clothes showed no speck of dirt. He
wore his beard long, and as he grew old it became very white; his curly
hair also was white as snow. His dark face was very conspicuous in the
midst of all this whiteness, and gave him an odd appearance. But he had
such a friendly, pleasant expression of countenance, and there was so
much modest dignity in his manners, that he inspired respect. A stranger
once said to one of his wealthy neighbors, "I wonder that boys and giddy
young folks don't ridicule that old black man, his dress and appearance
are so very peculiar." The neighbor replied, "William Boen is a
religious man, and everybody respects him. The light-minded are so much
impressed by his well-known character, that they are restrained from
making fun of his singular appearance."
He died in his ninetieth year; not from any disease, but the mere
weakness of old age. His faculties were clear, and his mind serene and
cheerful to the last. He spoke of his approaching death with the
greatest composure; saying that he had no wish about the manner of his
exit from this life, that he was resigned to the Divine will in all
things.
One of the last things he said was, "I am glad to see that the feeling
against slavery is growing among the Society of Friends. Once I felt as
if I was alone in my testimony against that wicked system."
After his death, the Society of Friends at Mount Holly wrote a Memorial
concerning his character, which was read in their Yearly Meeting. It
concluded thus: "In early life, he was concerned 'to do justly, love
mercy, and walk humbly with his God.' By close attention to the light of
Christ within, he was enabled, not only to bear many precious
testimonies faithfully to the end of his days, but also to bring forth
those fruits of the spirit which redound to the glory of God and the
salvation of the soul. As he lived, so he died,--a rare pattern of a
self-denying follower of Christ. 'Mark the perfect man, and behold the
upright; for the end of that man is peace.'"
ANECDOTE OF GENERAL WASHINGTON.
During the war of the Revolution, Primus Hall was the colored servant of
Colonel Pickering, with whom General Washington often held long
consultations. One night, finding they must be engaged till late, he
proposed to sleep in the Colonel's tent, provided there was a spare
blanket and straw. Primus, who was always eager to oblige the
Commander-in-Chief, said, "Plenty of straw and blankets."
When the long conference was ended, the two officers lay down to rest on
the beds he had prepared. When he saw they were asleep, he seated
himself on a box, and, leaning his head on his hand, tried to take as
comfortable a nap as he could. General Washington woke in the night, and
seeing him nodding there, called out, "Primus!" The servant started to
his feet, and exclaimed, "What do you wish for, General?"
"You told me you had plenty of straw and blankets," replied Washington;
"but I see you are sitting up all night for the sake of giving me your
bed."
"It is no matter about me," rejoined Primus.
"Yes, it is," replied General Washington. "If one of us must sit up, I
will take my turn. But there is no need of that. The blanket is wide
enough for two. Come and lie down with me."
Primus, who reverenced the Commander-in-Chief as he did no other mortal,
protested against it. But Washington threw open the blanket, and said,
"Come and lie down, I tell you! There is room enough for both, and I
insist upon it."
The tone was too resolute to admit of further parley, and the General
and his colored friend slept comfortably under the same blanket till
morning.
PRAYER OF THE SLAVE.
BY BERNARD BARTON.
O Father of the human race!
The white, the black, the bond, the free,
Thanks for thy gift of heavenly grace,
Vouchsafed through Jesus Christ to me.
This, 'mid oppression's every wrong,
Has borne my sinking spirits up;
Made sorrow joyful, weakness strong,
And sweetened Slavery's bitter cup.
Hath not a Saviour's dying hour
Made e'en the yoke of thraldom light?
Hath not thy Holy Spirit's power
Made bondage freedom? darkness bright?
Thanks then, O Father! for the gift
Which through thy Gospel thou hast given,
Which thus from bonds and earth can lift
The soul to liberty and heaven.
But not the less I mourn their shame,
Who, mindless of thy gracious will,
Call on the holy Father's name,
Yet keep their brethren bondmen still.
Forgive them, Lord! for Jesus' sake;
And when the slave thou hast unbound,
The chains which bind the oppressor break!
Thus be thy love's last triumph crowned.
TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE.
"Everywhere thy name shall be
Redeemed from color's infamy;
And men shall learn to speak of thee
As one of earth's great spirits, born
In servitude and nursed in scorn,
Casting aside the weary weight
And fetters of its low estate,
In that strong majesty of soul
Which knows no color, tongue, or clime,
Which still hath spurned the base control
Of tyrants, through all time."
JOHN G. WHITTIER.
On the western coast of Africa, a tribe called the Arradas are said to
be superior to most of the other tribes in intelligence and strength of
will. The son of their chief, named Gaou-Guinou, was seized by a
prowling band of slave-traders, one day when he was out hunting. He was
packed in the hold of a European ship, with a multitude of other
unfortunate victims, and carried to the island of Hayti to be sold. This
is one of the largest of the West India Islands, and lies between Cuba
and Porto Rico. It was first discovered by Spaniards, who found it
inhabited by mild-tempered Indians, leading a very simple and happy
life. These natives called their island Hayti, which in their language
signified a Land of Mountains. A lofty ridge of mountains runs across
it, and gives it a solemn, dreary appearance, when seen in the distance.
But it is a very beautiful and fertile island. The high, rocky
precipices, piled one above another, look down on broad flowery plains,
flowing with water, and loaded with tropical fruits. When the Spaniards
established a colony there, they introduced the cultivation of sugar,
cotton, and coffee, to supply the markets of Europe. They compelled the
native Indians to work so hard, and treated them so badly, that the poor
creatures died off very fast. Then they sent men in ships to Africa to
steal negroes to work for them. They founded a city in the eastern part
of the island, and named it St. Domingo; and the whole island came to be
called by that name by European nations.
The French afterward took possession of the western part of the island.
Their principal city was named Cap Francois, which means French Cape.
The African prince Gaou-Guinou was sold in the market of that city. He
was more fortunate than slaves generally are. He was bought by the
manager of a sugar plantation belonging to a French nobleman, named the
Count de Breda. He was kind-hearted, and was very careful to employ none
but humane men to take charge of his laborers. The condition of the
young African was also less desolate than it would have been, by reason
of his finding on the Breda estate several members of the Arradas tribe,
who, like him, had been stolen from their homes. They at once recognized
him as the son of their king, and treated him with the utmost respect.
In process of time he married a black slave, who is said to have been
handsome and virtuous. They joined the Roman Catholic Church, which was
the established religion of France and the French islands. Of their
eight children, the oldest, born in 1743, one hundred and twenty-two
years ago, was named Toussaint. The day of his birth is not certainly
known. It has been said to have been on the 20th of May. But, from his
name, it seems more likely that it was on the 1st of November. In
Catholic countries, almost every day of the year is set apart to the
worship of some saint; and a child born on the day of any particular
saint is very apt to receive his name from that day. The first of
November is a festival of the church, called All Saints' Day; and
Toussaint, in the French language, means All Saints.
In the neighborhood of Gaou-Guinou lived a very honest, religious old
black man, named Pierre Baptiste. He had been in the service of Jesuit
missionaries, and had there learned to read and write, also a little of
geometry. By help of the Catholic Prayer-Book he learned some prayers in
Latin, and found out their meaning in French. This man stood godfather
for Toussaint at his baptism, and as the boy grew older it was his
pleasure to teach him what little he himself knew. The language of the
Arradas tribe was always spoken in the family of Gaou-Guinou, but from
his godfather Toussaint learned to speak tolerably good French, which
was the language of the whites in the western part of St. Domingo. It is
said that Gaou-Guinou was allowed to cultivate a little patch of ground
for his family, and that some of his fellow-slaves were permitted to
assist him occasionally. This indulgence indicates that he stood well in
his master's opinion. But, in common with other slaves, it is probable
that he and his wife toiled early and late in the fields or the
sugar-house, and that their family were huddled together in a hut too
small to allow of their observing the laws of cleanliness or modesty.
For several years Toussaint was so feeble and slender that his parents
called him by a name which signified "The Little Lath." But he gained
strength as he grew older; and by the time he was twelve years old he
could beat all the boys in running, jumping, and leaping.
It was the business of young slaves to tend the flocks and herds. They
generally neglected and abused the creatures under their care, because
they themselves were accustomed to hard treatment. But Toussaint was of
a kindly disposition, and there was less violence on his master's
plantation than elsewhere. It was remarked in the neighborhood that he
differed from other boys in his careful and gentle treatment of the
animals under his care. He was naturally a silent and thoughtful child,
and probably this tendency was increased by being much alone, watching
the browsing cattle in the stillness of the great valleys. Perhaps also
the presence of the mountains and the sky made him feel serious and
solemn. His pious godfather told him legends of Catholic saints, which
he had heard among the missionaries. All these things combined to give
him a religious turn of mind, even in his boyhood. From his own father
he learned a great deal about Africa and the customs that prevailed in
the tribe of his grandfather, King of the Arradas; also the medicinal
qualities of many plants, which afterward proved very useful to him.
Nothing is recorded of the moral and intellectual character of his
father; but Toussaint always respected him highly, and when he was
himself an old man he spoke of him as a good parent, who had trained him
well by lessons of honor and virtue.
Toussaint Breda, as he was called, from the name of the estate on which
he worked, early acquired a reputation for intelligence, sobriety, and
industry. The Manager of the estate, M. Bayou de Libertas, was so much
pleased with his conduct and manners that he made him his coachman, a
situation much coveted by the slaves, as being more easy and pleasant
than most of their tasks. His kindness to animals fitted him for the
care of horses, and he was found as faithful in this new business as he
had been while he was herds-boy. He was afterward promoted to an office
of greater trust, being made steward of the sugar-house.
Having arrived at manhood, he began to want a home of his own. Most of
the slaves took up together without any form of marriage, that being one
of the bad customs which grows out of Slavery. But Toussaint was
religious, and it would have troubled his conscience to live in that bad
way. He had become attached to a widow named Suzan, who had one little
son called Placide. She was not handsome, but he loved her for her good
sense, good temper, and modest manners. They were married according to
the ceremonies of the Catholic Church. He adopted her little boy, and
brought him up as tenderly as he did his own children. The Manager
allowed him a small patch of ground for vegetables, and all the hours
they could snatch from plantation labors he and his wife devoted to the
cultivation of their little garden. M. Bayou de Libertas was such a
humane and considerate man that life in his service seems to have been
as happy as the condition of slaves can be. Long afterward, Toussaint,
speaking of this period of his life, said: "My wife and I went hand in
hand to labor in the fields. We were scarcely conscious of the fatigues
of the day. Heaven always blessed our toil. We had abundance for
ourselves, and the pleasure of giving to other blacks who needed it. On
Sundays and festival days my wife, my parents, and myself went to
church. Returning to our cottage we had a pleasant meal, passed the
remainder of the day in family intercourse, and closed it by prayer, in
which all took part."
Thus contented in his humble station, and faithfully performing its
duties, he gained the respect and confidence of both blacks and whites.
Many of the slaves in the French colonies were cruelly treated, as is
always the case wherever Slavery exists. Toussaint could not avoid
seeing a great deal of wrong and suffering inflicted on people of his
color, and he was doubtless grateful to God that his lot was so much
better than theirs. But he was too intelligent and thoughtful not to
question in his own mind why either he or they should be held in bondage
merely on account of the complexion which it had pleased God to give
them. He was fond of reading, and M. Bayou de Libertas, contrary to the
usual custom, allowed him the use of his books. He read one volume at a
time, and tried to understand it thoroughly. He devoted every spare
moment to it, and while he was at work he was busily thinking over what
he had read. It took complete possession of his soul for the time, and
he would repeat extracts from it to his companions for weeks after. In
this earnest way he read several books of ancient history, biography,
and morals, and a number of military books. There was a French author,
called the Abbe Raynal, who was much opposed to Slavery. In some way or
other, one of his books fell into the hands of Toussaint Breda, and made
a deep impression on him. It contained the following sentence: "What
shall be done to overthrow Slavery? Self-interest alone governs kings
and nations. We must look elsewhere. A courageous chief is all the
negroes need. Where is he? Where is that great man whom Nature owes to
her vexed, oppressed, and tormented children? He will doubtless appear.
He will come forth and raise the sacred standard of Liberty. This
venerable signal will gather round him his companions in misfortune.
More impetuous than the torrents, they will everywhere leave the
indelible traces of their just resentment. Everywhere people will bless
the name of the hero who shall have re-established the rights of the
human race."
When the Abbe Raynal wrote those prophetic words, he did not foresee
that they would meet the eye of the very man he called for; and the
humble slave, when he read them, did not hear in them the voice of his
own destiny.
While he was diligently toiling for his humane masters, and seizing
every opportunity to increase his small stock of knowledge, the island
of St. Domingo was growing very rich by agriculture and commerce. The
planters acquired enormous wealth, built splendid houses, and lived in
luxury, laziness, and dissipation, upon the toil of the poor unpaid
negroes. Twenty thousand slaves were imported from Africa every year, to
make up the deficiency of those who were killed by excessive toil and
cruel treatment. These new victims, men and women, had the name of their
purchaser branded on their breast-bones with red-hot iron.
But men never violate the laws of God without suffering the
consequences, sooner or later. Slavery was producing its natural fruits
of tyranny and hatred, cruelty and despair. The reports of barbarity on
one side and suffering on the other attracted attention in Europe; and
benevolent and just men began to speak and write against Slavery as a
wicked and dangerous institution. The Abbe Gregoire, a humane Bishop of
the Catholic Church, introduced the agitating question into the French
Assembly, a body similar to our Congress. He also formed a society
called _Les Amis de Noirs_, which means "The Friends of the Blacks." Of
course, this was very vexatious to slaveholders in the French colonies.
They knew very well that if the facts of Slavery were made known, every
good man would cry out against it. Political parties were formed in St.
Domingo. Some of the planters wanted to secede from France, and set up
an independent government. Others wanted to increase their political
power by having a Colonial Assembly established in the island, by means
of which they could mainly manage their own concerns as they chose. For
this purpose they sent deputies to France. But their request gave rise
to the question who should have the right to be members of such an
Assembly; and, for the following reasons, that question was very
annoying to the haughty slaveholders of St. Domingo.
In the United States of America, slaveholders made a law that "the child
shall follow the condition of the _mother_"; consequently, every child
of a slave-woman was born a slave, however light its complexion might
be. This was a very convenient arrangement for white fathers, who wanted
to sell their own children. In the French colonies, the law was, "the
child shall follow the condition of its _father_." The consequence was,
that all the children the planters of St. Domingo had by their slaves
were born free. This was, of course, a numerous class. In fact, their
numbers were two thirds as great as those of the whites. There were at
that time in St. Domingo thirty thousand whites, twenty thousand free
mulattoes, and five hundred thousand black slaves. Not unfrequently the
white planters sent their mulatto children to France to be educated like
gentlemen. Many of them acquired great wealth and held numerous slaves.
But they were a class by themselves. However rich and educated they
might be, they were kept trampled down in a degraded and irritating
position, merely on account of their color. They despised the negro
slaves, from whom they had descended on the mother's side; and they in
their turn were despised by the whites, whose children they were,
because their color connected them with the enslaved race. They were not
allowed to be doctors, lawyers, or priests; they could hold no public
office; they could not inherit the name or the property of their
fathers; they could not attend school with white boys, or sit at a white
man's table, or occupy the same portion of a church with him, or be
buried in the same graveyard. They were continually insulted by whites,
but if they dared to give a blow in return, the penalty was to have the
right hand cut off. This class of free mulattoes claimed that, being
numerous and wealthy, and the payers of taxes, they had a right to send
representatives to the Colonial Assembly to look after their interests.
They had the more hopes of gaining this point, because a great
Revolution was then going on in France, and the friends of liberty and
equality were daily growing stronger there. When the white planters sent
deputies to France, the mulattoes sent deputies also, with a present of
more than a million of dollars, and an offer to mortgage a fifth part of
all their property toward the payment of the French national debt. All
they asked in return was that the law should put them on an equality
with white men. Being slaveholders, they manifested the same selfishness
that white slaveholders did. They declared that they asked redress of
grievances only for oppressed _freemen_; that they had no wish to change
the condition of the negroes, who were slaves.
This petition was drawn up in 1790, and sent to Paris by a wealthy
colored man named Oge. It excited lively discussion in the National
Assembly of France. One of the members, named Lamoth, who owned large
estates in St. Domingo, said: "I am one of the largest proprietors in
that island; but I would lose all that I possess there rather than
disown principles which justice and humanity have consecrated. I am not
only in favor of admitting men of color into the Colonial Assemblies,
but I also go for the emancipation of the negro slaves." After animated
discussion, the reply received by the mulatto deputies from the
President of the Assembly was: "No portion of the French nation shall in
vain claim its rights from the representatives of the French people."
When the white planters of St. Domingo heard of this, they were filled
with wrath. In one place, a mulatto named Lacombe, whose only crime was
that he had signed the petition, was seized and hung. In another place,
the mob seized a highly respected old white magistrate and cut off his
head, because he had drafted for the mulattoes a very moderate petition,
begging to be released from some of the hardships under which they had
so long suffered. When the colored deputy Oge returned from France and
demanded that mulattoes should have the rights of citizenship, which had
been decreed to them by the French Assembly, soldiers were sent to seize
him, and he was sentenced to have all his limbs broken on a wheel, and
then to have his head cut off.
Besides the classes of which I have spoken there was another class in
St. Domingo called _petit blancs_, which means small whites. They were
so called to distinguish them from the large landed proprietors. They
occupied a position not unlike that of the class known as "poor whites"
in the slaveholding portion of the United States. They were ready
instruments to carry out the vengeance of the infuriated planters. They
seized every opportunity to insult the free mulattoes, and to inflict
cruelty and outrage on the negro slaves. They went about as patrols,
traversing the plantations, and bursting into negro huts at all times of
night, under the pretence that they were plotting insurrection. The poor
ignorant slaves did not understand what all this mobbing and murdering
was for; but finding themselves so much suspected and abused without
cause, they became weary of their lives. Many committed suicide, others
tried to poison their tormentors. At Port au Prince an attempt was made
to get up an insurrection. Fifty slaves, suspected of being connected
with it, were beheaded, and their heads, stuck on poles, were set up by
the hedges in a row.
While the fire was thus kindling under their feet the white planters
came out in open defiance of the French government, and refused to take
the oath of allegiance. They called on the English for aid, and offered
to make the island over to Great Britain. The mulattoes were filled with
dismay, for the French government was their only hope. They had hitherto
kept aloof from the negroes; but now, seeing the necessity of curbing
the power of the white planters, at all hazards, they instigated the
already exasperated slaves to seize this favorable moment of commotion
and rise against their masters. They did rise, on the 22d of August,
1791. All at once the sky was red with the reflection of burning houses
and cane-fields. The cruelties which they had witnessed or suffered,
they now, in their turn, inflicted on white men, women, and children. It
was a horrible scene.