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[Illustration: _Very truly your friend, W^m. Wells Brown._]
THE
RISING SON;
OR,
THE ANTECEDENTS AND ADVANCEMENT
OF THE COLORED RACE.
BY
WM. WELLS BROWN, M. D.
AUTHOR OF “SKETCHES OF PLACES AND PEOPLE ABROAD,” “THE
BLACK MAN,” “THE NEGRO IN THE REBELLION,”
“CLOTELLE,” ETC.
_Thirteenth Thousand._
BOSTON:
A. G. BROWN & CO., PUBLISHERS.
1882.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873,
BY A. G. BROWN
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
PREFACE.
After availing himself of all the reliable information obtainable, the
author is compelled to acknowledge the scantiness of materials for a
history of the African race. He has throughout endeavored to give a
faithful account of the people and their customs, without concealing
their faults.
Several of the biographical sketches are necessarily brief, owing to
the difficulty in getting correct information in regard to the subjects
treated upon. Some have been omitted on account of the same cause.
WM. WELLS BROWN.
Cambridgeport, Mass.
PUBLISHERS’ NOTE TO THE 13TH EDITION.
Few works written upon the colored race have equaled in circulation
“The Rising Son.”
In the past two years the sales have more than doubled in the Southern
States, and the demand for the book is greatly on the increase. Twelve
thousand copies have already been sold; and if this can be taken as an
index to the future, we may look forward with hope that the colored
citizens are beginning to appreciate their own authors.
WELCOME TO “THE RISING SON.”
BY ELIJAH W. SMITH.
Come forth, historian of our race,
And with the pen of Truth
Bring to our claim to Manhood’s rights,
The strength of written proof;
Draw back the curtain of the past,
And lift the ages’ pall,
That we may view the portraits grand
That hang on History’s wall!
Tell of a race whose onward tide
Was often swelled with tears;
In whose hearts bondage has not quenched
The fire of former years
When Hannibal’s resistless hosts
Wrought his imperial will,
And brave Toussaint to freedom called,
From Hayti’s vine-clad hill.
Write when, in these, our later days,
Earth’s noble ones are named,
We have a roll of honor, too,
Of which we’re not ashamed;
If, for the errors of the past,
In chains did we atone,
God, from our race’s sepulchre,
Hath rolled away the stone.
And our dear land, that long hath slept
Beneath oppression’s spell,
Welcomes the manly fortitude
That stood the test so well;
Bearing the record, blazoned o’er
With deeds of valor done,
Up to the Future’s golden door
He comes, the “Rising Son.”
The battle’s din hath passed away,
And o’er the furrowed plain
Spring, fresh and green, the tender blades
Of Freedom’s golden grain;
But eagle eyes must watch the field,
Lest the fell foe should dare
To scatter, while the sowers sleep,
Proscription’s noxious snare.
Lo! shadowy ’mid the forest-trees
Their demon forms are seen,
And lurid light of baleful eyes
Flash through the foliage green;
And till completed is the work
So gloriously begun,
A sentry true on Freedom’s walls
Stand thou, O “Rising Son!”
Go forth! the harbinger of days
More glorious than the past;
Hushed is the clash of hostile steel,
The bugle’s battle-blast;
Go, herald of the promised time,
When men of every land
Shall hasten joyfully to grasp
The Ethiope’s outstretched hand!
CONTENTS.
PAGE
MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR 9
CHAPTER I.
THE ETHIOPIANS AND EGYPTIANS 36
CHAPTER II.
THE CARTHAGINIANS 49
CHAPTER III.
EASTERN AFRICA 65
CHAPTER IV.
CAUSES OF COLOR 78
CHAPTER V.
CAUSES OF THE DIFFERENCE IN FEATURES 84
CHAPTER VI.
CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES 90
CHAPTER VII.
THE ABYSSINIANS 97
CHAPTER VIII.
WESTERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA 101
CHAPTER IX.
THE SLAVE-TRADE 118
CHAPTER X.
THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA 129
CHAPTER XI.
PROGRESS IN CIVILIZATION 135
CHAPTER XII.
HAYTI 140
CHAPTER XIII.
SUCCESS OF TOUSSAINT 150
CHAPTER XIV.
CAPTURE OF TOUSSAINT 159
CHAPTER XV.
TOUSSAINT A PRISONER IN FRANCE 168
CHAPTER XVI.
DESSALINES AS EMPEROR OF HAYTI 173
CHAPTER XVII.
WAR BETWEEN THE BLACKS AND MULATTOES OF HAYTI 185
CHAPTER XVIII.
CHRISTOPHE AS KING, AND PÉTION AS PRESIDENT OF
HAYTI 201
CHAPTER XIX.
PEACE IN HAYTI, AND DEATH OF PÉTION 209
CHAPTER XX.
BOYER THE SUCCESSOR OF PÉTION IN HAYTI 218
CHAPTER XXI.
INSURRECTION, AND DEATH OF CHRISTOPHE 222
CHAPTER XXII.
UNION OF HAYTI AND SANTO DOMINGO 229
CHAPTER XXIII.
SOULOUQUE AS EMPEROR OF HAYTI 234
CHAPTER XXIV.
GEFFRARD AS PRESIDENT OF HAYTI 236
CHAPTER XXV.
SALNAVE AS PRESIDENT OF HAYTI 241
CHAPTER XXVI.
JAMAICA 243
CHAPTER XXVII.
SOUTH AMERICA 255
CHAPTER XXVIII.
CUBA AND PORTO RICO 258
CHAPTER XXIX.
SANTO DOMINGO 262
CHAPTER XXX.
INTRODUCTION OF BLACKS INTO AMERICAN COLONIES 265
CHAPTER XXXI.
SLAVES IN THE NORTHERN COLONIES 270
CHAPTER XXXII.
COLORED INSURRECTIONS IN THE COLONIES 276
CHAPTER XXXIII.
BLACK MEN IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR 282
CHAPTER XXXIV.
BLACKS IN THE WAR OF 1812 286
CHAPTER XXXV.
THE CURSE OF SLAVERY 291
CHAPTER XXXVI.
DISCONTENT AND INSURRECTION 296
CHAPTER XXXVII.
GROWING OPPOSITION TO SLAVERY 319
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
MOB LAW TRIUMPHANT 322
CHAPTER XXXIX.
HEROISM AT SEA 325
CHAPTER XL.
THE IRON AGE 329
CHAPTER XLI.
RELIGIOUS STRUGGLES 336
CHAPTER XLII.
JOHN BROWN’S RAID ON HARPER’S FERRY 340
CHAPTER XLIII.
LOYALTY AND BRAVERY OF THE BLACKS 342
CHAPTER XLIV.
THE PROCLAMATION OF FREEDOM 347
CHAPTER XLV.
BLACKS ENLISTED, AND IN BATTLE 352
CHAPTER XLVI.
NEGRO HATRED AT THE NORTH 382
CHAPTER XLVII.
CASTE AND PROGRESS 387
CHAPTER XLVIII.
THE ABOLITIONISTS 393
CHAPTER XLIX.
THE NEW ERA 413
CHAPTER L.
RACE REPRESENTATIVES.
Attucks, C. 418
Aldridge, Ira 489
Banneker, B. 425
Brown, I. M. 449
Bell, P. A. 470
Butler, W. F. 525
Banister, E. M. 483
Bassett, E. D. 497
Bell, J. M. 504
Campbell, J. P. 446
Clark, P. H. 520
Chester, T. M. 526
Clinton, J. J. 528
Carey, M. S. 539
Cardozo, T. W. 495
Cain, R. H. 544
Douglass, F. 435
Delany, M. R. 460
Downing, G. T. 474
Dunn, O. J. 491
Douglass, L. H. 543
Day, W. H. 499
Elliott, R. B. 403
Forten, C. L. 475
Freeman, J. J. 551
Gaines, J. I. 450
Grimes, L. A. 534
Garnett, H. H. 457
Greener, R. T. 542
Harper, F. E. 524
Hayden, L. 547
Jackson, F. M. 508
Jones, S. T. 531
Jordan, E., Sir 481
Lewis, E. 465
Langston, J. M. 447
De Mortie, L. 496
Martin, J. S. 535
Nell, W. C. 485
Purvis, C. B. 549
Purvis, R. 468
Pinchback, P. B. S. 517
Pennington, J. W. C. 461
Payne, D. A. 454
Perry, R. L. 533
Quinn, W. P. 432
Reason, C. L. 442
Ray, C. B. 472
Remond, C. L. 459
Ruggles, D. 434
Reveles, H. R. 500
Rainey, J. H. 507
Ransier, A. H. 510
Ruffin, G. L. 540
Still, W. 520
Simpson, W. H. 478
Smith, M’Cune 453
Smith, S. 445
Smith, E. W. 552
Tanner, B. T. 530
Vashon, G. B. 476
Wheatley, P. 423
Wayman, ---- 440
Wilson, W. J. 444
Whipper, W. 493
Wears, I. C. 512
Zuille, J. J. 473
_MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR._
BY ALONZO D. MOORE.
Thirty years ago, a young colored man came to my father’s house at
Aurora, Erie County, New York, to deliver a lecture on the subject
of American Slavery, and the following morning I sat upon his knee
while he told me the story of his life and escape from the South.
Although a boy of eight years, I still remember the main features of
the narrative, and the impression it made upon my mind, and the talk
the lecture of the previous night created in our little quiet town.
That man was William Wells Brown, now so widely-known, both at home and
abroad. It is therefore with no little hesitancy that I consent to pen
this sketch of one whose name has for many years been a household word
in our land.
William Wells Brown was born in Lexington, Ky., in the year 1816. His
mother was a slave, his father a slaveholder. The boy was taken to
the State of Missouri in infancy, and spent his boyhood in St. Louis.
At the age of ten years he was hired out to a captain of a steamboat
running between St. Louis and New Orleans, where he remained a year or
two, and was then employed as office boy by Elijah P. Lovejoy, who was
at that time editor of the St. Louis Times. Here William first began
the groundwork of his education. After one year spent in the printing
office, the object of our sketch was again let out to a captain of one
of the steamboats plying on the river. In the year 1834 William made
his escape from the boat, and came North.
He at once obtained a situation on a steamer on Lake Erie, where, in
the position of steward, he was of great service to fugitive slaves
making their way to Canada. In a single year he gave a free passage
across the lake to sixty-five fugitives. Making his home in Buffalo,
Mr. Brown organized a vigilance committee whose duties were to protect
and aid slaves, while passing through that city on their way to the
“Land of the free,” or to the eastern States. As chairman of that
committee, Mr. Brown was of great assistance to the fleeing bondmen.
The Association kept a fund on hand to employ counsel in case of
capture of a fugitive, besides furnishing all with clothing, shoes,
and whatever was needed by those who were in want. Escaping from the
South without education, the subject of our sketch spent the winter
nights in an evening school and availed himself of private instructions
to gain what had been denied him in his younger days.
In the autumn of 1843, he accepted an agency to lecture for the
Anti-slavery Society, and continued his labors in connection with that
movement until 1849; when he accepted an invitation to visit England.
As soon as it was understood that the fugitive slave was going abroad,
the American Peace Society elected him as a delegate to represent them
at the Peace Congress at Paris.
Without any solicitation, the Executive Committee of the American
Anti-slavery Society strongly recommended Mr. Brown to the friends
of freedom in Great Britain. The President of the above Society gave
him private letters to some of the leading men and women in Europe.
In addition to these, the colored citizens of Boston held a meeting
the evening previous to his departure, and gave Mr. Brown a public
farewell, and passed resolutions commending him to the confidence and
hospitality of all lovers of liberty in the mother-land.
Such was the auspices under which this self-educated man sailed for
England on the 18th of July, 1849.
Mr. Brown arrived in Liverpool, and proceeded at once to Dublin, where
warm friends of the cause of freedom greeted him. The land of Burke,
Sheridan, and O’Connell would not permit the American to leave without
giving him a public welcome. A large and enthusiastic meeting held in
the Rotunda, and presided over by JAMES HAUGHTON, Esq., gave Mr. Brown
the first reception which he had in the Old World.
After a sojourn of twenty days in the Emerald Isle, the fugitive
started for the Peace Congress which was to assemble at Paris. The
Peace Congress, and especially the French who were in attendance at
the great meeting, most of whom had never seen a colored person,
were somewhat taken by surprise on the last day, when Mr. Brown made
a speech. “His reception,” said La Presse, “was most flattering. He
admirably sustained his reputation as a public speaker. His address
produced a profound sensation. At its conclusion, the speaker was
warmly greeted by Victor Hugo, President of the Congress, Richard
Cobden, Esq., and other distinguished men on the platform. At the
_soirée_ given by M. de Tocqueville, the Minister for Foreign Affairs,
the American slave was received with marked attention.”
Having spent a fortnight in Paris and vicinity, viewing the sights,
he returned to London. GEORGE THOMPSON, Esq., was among the first to
meet the fugitive on his arrival at the English metropolis. A few days
after, a very large meeting, held in the spacious Music Hall, Bedford
Square, and presided over by Sir Francis Knowles, Bart., welcomed Mr.
Brown to England. Many of Britain’s distinguished public speakers
spoke on the occasion. George Thompson made one of his most brilliant
efforts. This flattering reception gained for the fugitive pressing
invitations from nearly all parts of the United Kingdom.
He narrates in his “Three Years in Europe,” many humorous incidents
that occurred in his travels, and of which is the following:
“On a cold winter’s evening, I found myself seated before the fire,
and alone, in the principal hotel in the ancient and beautiful town
of Ludlow, and within a few minutes’ walk of the famous old castle
from which the place derives its name. A long ride by coach had so
completely chilled me, that I remained by the fire to a later hour than
I otherwise would have.
“‘Did you ring, sir?’ asked the waiter, as the clock struck twelve.
“‘No,’ I replied; ‘but you may give me a light, and I will retire.’
“I was shown to my chamber, and was soon in bed. From the weight of
the covering, I felt sure that the extra blanket which I had requested
to be put on was there; yet I was shivering with cold. As the sheets
began to get warm, I discovered, to my astonishment, that they were
damp--indeed, wet. My first thought was to ring the bell for the
servant, and have them changed; but, after a moment’s consideration,
I resolved to adopt a different course. I got out of bed, pulled the
sheets off, rolled them up, raised the window, and threw them into
the street. After disposing of the wet sheets, I returned to bed, and
got in between the blankets, and lay there trembling with cold till
Morpheus came to my relief.
“The next morning I said nothing about the sheets, feeling sure that
the discovery of their loss would be made by the chambermaid in due
time. Breakfast over, I visited the ruins of the old castle, and then
returned to the hotel, to await the coach for Hereford. As the hour
drew near for me to leave, I called the waiter, and ordered my bill.
‘Yes, sir, in a moment,’ he replied, and left in haste. Ten or fifteen
minutes passed away, and the servant once more came in, walked to the
window, pulled up the blinds, and then went out.
“I saw that something was afloat; and it occurred to me that they had
discovered the loss of the sheets, at which I was pleased; for the
London newspapers were, at that time, discussing the merits and the
demerits of the hotel accommodations of the kingdom, and no letters
found a more ready reception in their columns than one on that subject.
I had, therefore, made up my mind to have the wet sheets put in the
bill, pay for them, and send the bill to the Times.
“The waiter soon returned again, and, in rather an agitated manner,
said, ‘I beg your pardon, sir, but the landlady is in the hall, and
would like to speak to you.’ Out I went, and found the finest specimen
of an English landlady that I had seen for many a day. There she stood,
nearly as thick as she was tall, with a red face garnished around with
curls, that seemed to say, ‘I have just been oiled and brushed.’ A neat
apron covered a black alpaca dress that swept the floor with modesty,
and a bunch of keys hung at her side. O, that smile! such a smile as
none but an adept could put on. However, I had studied human nature
too successfully not to know that thunder and lightning were concealed
under that smile, and I nerved myself for the occasion.
“‘I am sorry to have to name it, sir,’ said she; ‘but the sheets are
missing off your bed.’
“‘O, yes,’ I replied; ‘I took them off last night.’
“‘Indeed!’ exclaimed she; ‘and what did you do with them?’
“‘I threw them out of the window,’ said I.
“‘What! into the street?’
“‘Yes; into the street,’ I said.
“‘What did you do that for?’
“‘They were wet; and I was afraid that if I left them in the room they
would be put on at night, and give somebody else a cold.’
“‘Then, sir,’ said she, ‘you’ll have to pay for them.’
“‘Make out your bill, madam,’ I replied, ‘and put the price of the wet
sheets in it, and I will send it to the Times, and let the public know
how much you charge for wet sheets.’
“I turned upon my heel, and went back to the sitting-room. A moment
more, and my bill was brought in; but nothing said about the sheets,
and no charge made for them. The coach came to the door; and as I
passed through the hall leaving the house, the landlady met me, but
with a different smile.
“‘I hope, sir,’ said she, ‘that you will never mention the little
incident about the sheets. I am very sorry for it. It would ruin my
house if it were known.’ Thinking that she was punished enough in the
loss of her property, I promised not to mention the name of the house,
if I ever did the incident.
“The following week I returned to the hotel, when I learned the fact
from the waiter that they had suspected that I had stolen the sheets,
and that a police officer was concealed behind the hall door, on
the day that I was talking with the landlady. When I retired to bed
that night, I found two jugs of hot water in the bed, and the sheets
thoroughly dried and aired.
“I visited the same hotel several times afterwards, and was invariably
treated with the greatest deference, which no doubt was the result of
my night with the wet sheets.”
In 1852, Mr. Brown gave to the public his “Three Years in Europe,” a
work which at once placed him high as an author, as will be seen by
the following extracts from some of the English journals. The Eclectic
Review, edited by the venerable Dr. Price, one of the best critics in
the realm, said,--“Mr. Brown has produced a literary work not unworthy
of a highly-cultivated gentleman.”
Rev. Dr. Campbell, in the British Banner, remarked: “We have read Mr.
Brown’s book with an unusual measure of interest. Seldom, indeed, have
we met with anything more captivating. A work more worthy of perusal
has not, for a considerable time, come into our hands.”
“Mr. Brown writes with ease and ability,” said the Times, “and his
intelligent observations upon the great question to which he has
devoted and is devoting his life will command influence and respect.”
The Literary Gazette, an excellent authority, says of it, “The
appearance of this book is too remarkable a literary event, to pass
without a notice. At the moment when attention in this country is
directed to the state of the colored people in America, the book
appears with additional advantage; if nothing else were attained by
its publication, it is well to have another proof of the capability of
the negro intellect. Altogether, Mr. Brown has written a pleasing and
amusing volume, and we are glad to bear this testimony to the literary
merit of a work by a negro author.”
The Glasgow Citizen, in its review, remarked,--“W. Wells Brown is no
ordinary man, or he could not have so remarkably surmounted the many
difficulties and impediments of his training as a slave. By dint of
resolution, self-culture, and force of character, he has rendered
himself a popular lecturer to a British audience, and a vigorous
expositor of the evils and atrocities of that system whose chains he
has shaken off so triumphantly and forever. We may safely pronounce
William Wells Brown a remarkable man, and a full refutation of the
doctrine of the inferiority of the negro.”
The Glasgow Examiner said,--“This is a thrilling book, independent of
adventitious circumstances, which will enhance its popularity. The
author of it is not a man, in America, but a chattel,--a thing to be
bought, and sold, and whipped; but in Europe, he is an author, and a
successful one, too. He gives in this book an interesting and graphic
description of a three years’ residence in Europe. The book will no
doubt obtain, as it well deserves, a rapid and wide popularity.”
In the spring of 1853, the fugitive brought out his work, “Clotelle;
or, the President’s Daughter,” a book of nearly three hundred pages,
being a narrative of slave life in the Southern States. This work
called forth new criticisms on the “Negro Author” and his literary
efforts. The London Daily News pronounced it a book that would make a
deep impression; while The Leader, edited by the son of Leigh Hunt,
thought many parts of it “equal to anything which had appeared on the
slavery question.”
The above are only a few of the many encomiums bestowed upon our
author. Besides writing his books, Mr. Brown was also a regular
contributor to the columns of The London Daily News, The Liberator,
Frederick Douglass’ Paper, and The National Anti-slavery Standard. When
we add, that in addition to his literary labors, Mr. Brown was busily
engaged in the study of the medical profession, it will be admitted
that he is one of the most industrious of men. After remaining abroad
nearly six years, and travelling extensively through Great Britain and
on the continent, he returned to the United States in 1854, landing at
Philadelphia, where he was welcomed in a large public meeting presided
over by Robert Purvis, Esq.
On reaching Boston, a welcome meeting was held in Tremont Temple, with
Francis Jackson, Esq., in the chair, and at which Wendell Phillips
said,--“I rejoice that our friend Brown went abroad; I rejoice still
more that he has returned. The years any thoughtful man spends abroad
must enlarge his mind and store it richly. But such a visit is to a
colored man more than merely intellectual education. He lives for the
first time free from the blighting chill of prejudice. He sees no
society, no institution, no place of resort or means of comfort from
which his color debars him.
“We have to thank our friend for the fidelity with which he has, amid
many temptations, stood by those whose good name religious prejudice
is trying to undermine in Great Britain. That land is not all Paradise
to the colored man. Too many of them allow themselves to be made
tools of the most subtle of their race. We recognize, to-night, the
clear-sightedness and fidelity of Mr. Brown’s course abroad, not only
to thank him, but to assure our friends there that this is what the
Abolitionists of Boston endorse.”
Mr. Phillips proceeded:--“I still more rejoice that Mr. Brown has
returned. Returned to what? Not to what he can call his ‘country.’ The
white man comes ‘home.’ When Milton heard, in Italy, the sound of arms
from England, he hastened back--young, enthusiastic, and bathed in
beautiful art as he was in Florence. ‘I would not be away,’ he said,
‘when a blow was struck for liberty.’ He came to a country where his
manhood was recognized, to fight on equal footing.
“The black man comes home to no liberty but the liberty of
suffering--to struggle in fetters for the welfare of his race. It is
a magnanimous sympathy with his blood that brings such a man back. I
honor it. We meet to do it honor. Franklin’s motto was, _Ubi Libertas,
ibi patria_--Where liberty is, there is my country. Had our friend
adopted that for his rule, he would have stayed in Europe. Liberty for
him is there. The colored man who returns, like our friend, to labor,
crushed and despised, for his race, sails under a higher flag. His
motto is,--‘Where my country is, there will I bring liberty!’”
Although Dr. Brown could have entered upon the practice of his
profession, for which he was so well qualified, he nevertheless, with
his accustomed zeal, continued with renewed vigor in the cause of the
freedom of his race.
In travelling through the country and facing the prejudice that met
the colored man at every step, he saw more plainly the vast difference
between this country and Europe.
In giving an account of his passage on the little steamer that plies
between Ithica and Cayuga Bridge, he says,--
“When the bell rang for breakfast, I went to the table, where I found
some twenty or thirty persons. I had scarcely taken my seat, when a
rather snobby-appearing man, of dark complexion, looking as if a South
Carolina or Georgia sun had tanned him, began rubbing his hands, and,
turning up his nose, called the steward, and said to him, ‘Is it the
custom on this boat to put niggers at the table with white people?’
“The servant stood for a moment, as if uncertain what reply to make,
when the passenger continued, ‘Go tell the captain that I want him.’
Away went the steward. I had been too often insulted on account of my
connection with the slave, not to know for what the captain was wanted.
However, as I was hungry, I commenced helping myself to what I saw
before me, yet keeping an eye to the door, through which the captain
was soon to make his appearance. As the steward returned, and I heard
the heavy boots of the commander on the stairs, a happy thought struck
me; and I eagerly watched for the coming-in of the officer.
“A moment more, and a strong voice called out, ‘Who wants me?’
“I answered at once, ‘I, sir.’
“‘What do you wish?’ asked the captain.
“‘I want you to take this man from the table,’ said I.
“At this unexpected turn of the affair, the whole cabin broke out
into roars of laughter; while my rival on the opposite side of the
table seemed bursting with rage. The captain, who had joined in the
merriment, said,--
“‘Why do you want him taken from the table?’
“‘Is it your custom, captain,’ said I, ‘to let niggers sit at table
with white folks on your boat?’
“This question, together with the fact that the other passenger had
sent for the officer, and that I had ‘stolen his thunder,’ appeared
to please the company very much, who gave themselves up to laughter;
while the Southern-looking man left the cabin with the exclamation,
‘Damn fools!’”
In the autumn of 1854, Dr. Brown published his “Sketches of Places and
People Abroad,” that met with a rapid sale, and which the New York
Tribune said, was “well-written and intensely interesting.”
His drama, entitled “The Dough Face,” written shortly after, and read
by him before lyceums, gave general satisfaction wherever it was heard.
Indeed, in this particular line the doctor seems to excel, and the
press was unanimous in its praise of his efforts. The Boston Journal
characterized the drama and its reading as “interesting in its
composition, and admirably rendered.”
“The Escape; or, Leap for Freedom,” followed the “Dough Face,” and
this drama gave an amusing picture of slave life, and was equally as
favorably received by the public.
In 1863, Dr. Brown brought out “The Black Man,” a work which ran
through ten editions in three years, and which was spoken of by the
press in terms of the highest commendation, and of which Frederick
Douglass wrote in his own paper,--
“Though Mr. Brown’s book may stand alone upon its own merits, and
stand strong, yet while reading its interesting pages,--abounding
in fact and argument, replete with eloquence, logic, and learning,
clothed with simple yet eloquent language,--it is hard to repress the
inquiry, Whence has this man this knowledge? He seems to have read and
remembered nearly everything which has been written and said respecting
the ability of the negro, and has condensed and arranged the whole into
an admirable argument, calculated both to interest and convince.”
William Lloyd Garrison said, in The Liberator, “This work has done
good service, and proves its author to be a man of superior mind and
cultivated ability.”
Hon. Gerritt Smith, in a letter to Dr. Brown, remarked,--“I thank you
for writing such a book. It will greatly benefit the colored race. Send
me five copies of it.”
Lewis Tappen, in his Cooper Institute speech, on the 5th of January,
1863, said,--“This is just the book for the hour; it will do more for
the colored man’s elevation than any work yet published.”
The space allowed me for this sketch will not admit the many
interesting extracts that might be given from the American press in
Dr. Brown’s favor as a writer and a polished reader. However, I cannot
here omit the valuable testimony of Professor Hollis Read, in his
ably-written work, “The Negro Problem Solved.” On page 183, in writing
of the intelligent colored men of the country, he says: “As a writer,
I should in justice give the first place to Dr. William Wells Brown,
author of ‘The Black Man.’”
“Clotelle,” written by Dr. Brown, a romance founded on fact, is one of
the most thrilling stories that we remember to have read, and shows the
great versatility of the cast of mind of our author.
The temperance cause in Massachusetts, and indeed, throughout New
England, finds in Dr. Brown an able advocate.
The Grand Division of the Sons of Temperance of Massachusetts did
itself the honor of electing him Grand Worthy Associate of that body,
and thereby giving him a seat in the National Division of the Sons of
Temperance of North America, where, at its meeting in Boston, 1871,
his speech in behalf of the admission of the colored delegates from
Maryland, will not soon be forgotten by those who were present.
The doctor is also a prominent member of the Good Templars of
Massachusetts. His efforts, in connection with his estimable wife, for
the spread of temperance among the colored people of Boston, deserve
the highest commendation.
Some five years ago, our author, in company with others, organized “The
National Association for the Spread of Temperance and Night-schools
among the Freed People at the South,” of which he is now president.
This society is accomplishing great good among the freedmen.
It was while in the discharge of his duties of visiting the South, in
1871, and during his travels through the State of Kentucky, he became
a victim of the Ku-Klux, and of which the following is the narrative:--
“I visited my native State in behalf of The National Association for
the Spread of Temperance and Night-schools among the Freedmen, and
had spoken to large numbers of them at Louisville, and other places,
and was on my way to speak at Pleasureville, a place half-way between
Louisville and Lexington. I arrived at Pleasureville dépôt a little
after six in the evening, and was met by a colored man, who informed me
that the meeting was to take place five miles in the country.
“After waiting some time for a team which was expected, we started
on foot, thinking we would meet the vehicle. We walked on until dark
overtook us, and seeing no team, I began to feel apprehensive that all
was not right. The man with me, however, assured me that there was no
danger, and went on. But we shortly after heard the trotting of horses,
both in front and in the rear, and before I could determine what to do,
we were surrounded by some eight or ten men, three of whom dismounted,
bound my arms behind me with a cord, remounted their horses, and
started on in the direction I had been travelling. The man who was with
me disappeared while I was being tied. The men were not disguised, and
talked freely among themselves.
“After going a mile or more they stopped, and consulted a moment
or two, the purport of which I could not hear, except one of them
saying,--‘Lawrence don’t want a nigger hung so near his place.’ They
started again; I was on foot, a rope had been attached to my arms, and
the other end to one of the horses. I had to hasten my steps to keep
from being dragged along by the animal. Soon they turned to the right,
and followed up what appeared to be a cow-path.
“While on this road my hat fell off, and I called out to the man behind
and said, ‘I’ve lost my hat.’
“‘You’ll need no hat in half an hour’s time,’ he replied. As we were
passing a log house on this road, a man came out and said, in a
trembling voice, ‘Jim’s dying!’ All the men now dismounted, and, with
the exception of two, they went into the building. I distinctly heard
the cries, groans, and ravings of the sick man, which satisfied me at
once that it was an extreme case of delirium tremens; and as I treated
the malady successfully by the hypodermic remedy, and having with me
the little instrument, the thought flashed upon my mind that I might
save my life by the trial. Consequently, I said to one of the men,--‘I
know what’s the matter with that man, and I can relieve him in ten
minutes.’
“One of the men went into the house, related what I had said, and the
company came out. The leader, whom they all addressed as ‘Cap,’ began
to question me with regard to my skill in such complaints. He soon
became satisfied, untied me, and we entered the sick man’s chamber. My
hands were so numb from the tightness of the cord which bound my arms,
that I walked up and down the room for some minutes, rubbing my hands,
and contemplating the situation. The man lay upon a bed of straw, his
arms and legs bound to the bedstead to keep him from injuring himself
and others. He had, in his agony, bitten his tongue and lips, and his
mouth was covered with bloody froth, while the glare of his eyes was
fearful. His wife, the only woman in the house, sat near the bed with
an infant upon her lap, her countenance pale and anxious, while the
company of men seemed to be the most desperate set I had ever seen.
“I determined from the first to try to impress them with the idea
that I had derived my power to relieve pain from some supernatural
source. While I was thus thinking the matter over, ‘Cap’ was limping
up and down the room, breathing an oath at nearly every step, and
finally said to me,--‘Come, come, old boy, take hold lively; I want
to get home, for this d--d old hip of mine is raising h--l with me.’
I said to them,--‘Now, gentlemen, I’ll give this man complete relief
in less than ten minutes from the time I lay my hands on him; but I
must be permitted to retire to a room alone, for I confess that I have
dealings with the devil, and I must consult with him.’ Nothing so
charms an ignorant people as something that has about it the appearance
of superstition, and I did not want these men to see the syringe, or
to know of its existence. The woman at once lighted a tallow candle,
handed it to ‘Cap,’ and pointed to a small room. The man led the way,
set the light down, and left me alone. I now took out my case, adjusted
the needle to the syringe, filled it with a solution of the acetate of
morphia, put the little instrument into my vest pocket, and returned to
the room.
“After waving my hands in the air, I said,--‘Gentlemen, I want your
aid; give it to me, and I’ll perform a cure that you’ll never forget.
All of you look upon that man till I say, “Hold!” Look him right in
the eye.’ All eyes were immediately turned upon the invalid. Having
already taken my stand at the foot of the bed, I took hold of the right
leg near the calf, pinched up the skin, inserted the needle, withdrew
it after discharging the contents, slipped the syringe into my pocket,
and cried at the top of my voice, ‘Hold!’ The men now turned to me,
alternately viewing me and the sick man. From the moment that the
injection took place, the ravings began to cease, and in less than ten
minutes he was in perfect ease. I continued to wave my hands, and to
tell the devils ‘to depart and leave this man in peace.’ ‘Cap’ was the
first to break the silence, and he did it in an emphatic manner, for he
gazed steadily at me, then at the sick man, and exclaimed,--‘Big thing!
big thing, boys, d--d if it ain’t!’
“Another said,--‘A conjurer, by h--ll! you heard him say he deals with
the devil.’ I now thought it time to try ‘Cap,’ for, from his limping,
groaning, and swearing about his hip, it seemed to me a clear case of
sciatica, and I thus informed him, giving him a description of its
manner of attack and progress, detailing to him the different stages of
suffering.
“I had early learned from the deference paid to the man by his
associates, that he was their leader, and I was anxious to get my
hands on him, for I had resolved that if ever I got him under the
influence of the drug, he should never have an opportunity of putting
a rope around my neck. ‘Cap’ was so pleased with my diagnosis of
his complaint, that he said,--‘Well, I’ll give you a trial, d--d if
I don’t!’ I informed him that I must be with him alone. The woman
remarked that we could go in the adjoining room. As we left the
company, one of them said: ‘You aint agoin’ to kill “Cap,” is you?’
‘Oh, no!’ I replied. I said, ‘Now, “Cap,” I’ll cure you, but I need
your aid.’ ‘Sir,’ returned he, ‘I’ll do anything you tell me.’ I told
him to lay on the bed, shut his eyes, and count one hundred. He obeyed
at once, and while he was counting, I was filling the syringe with the
morphia.
“When he had finished counting, I informed him that I would have to
pinch him on the lame leg, so as to get the devil out of it. ‘Oh!’
replied he, ‘you may pinch as much as you d--d please, for I’ve seen
and felt h--ll with this old hip!’ I injected the morphia as I had done
in the previous case, and began to sing a noted Methodist hymn as soon
as I had finished. As the medicine took effect, the man went rapidly
off into a slumber, from which he did not awake while I was there, for
I had given him a double dose.
“I will here remark, that while the morphia will give most instant
relief in sciatica, it seldom performs a perfect cure. But in both
cases I knew it would serve my purpose. As soon as ‘Cap’ was safe, I
called in his companions, who appeared still more amazed than at first.
They held their faces to his to see that he breathed, and would shake
their heads and go out. I told them that I should have to remain with
the man five or six hours. At this announcement one of the company got
furious, and said, ‘It’s all a trick to save his neck from the halter,’
and concluded by saying at the top of his voice, ‘Come to the tree, to
the tree!’ The men all left the room, assembled in the yard, and had a
consultation. It was now after eleven o’clock, and as they had a large
flask of brandy with them they appeared to keep themselves well-filled,
from the manner in which the room kept scented up. At this juncture
one of the company, a tall, red-haired man, whose face was completely
covered with beard, entered the room, took his seat at the table, drew
out of his pocket a revolver, laid it on the table, and began to
fill his mouth with tobacco. The men outside mounted their horses and
rode away, one of whom distinctly shouted, ‘Remember, four o’clock.’
I continued to visit one and then the other of the invalids, feeling
their pulse, and otherwise showing my interest in their recovery.
“The brandy appeared to have as salutary effect on the man at the
table as the morphia had on the sick, for he was fast asleep in a few
minutes. The only impediment in the way of my escape now was a large
dog, which it was difficult to keep from me when I first came to the
house, and was now barking, snapping, and growling, as if he had been
trained to it.
“Many modes of escape suggested themselves to me while the time was
thus passing, the most favored of which was to seize the revolver, rush
out of the house, and run my chance with the dog. However, before I
could put any of these suggestions into practice, the woman went out,
called ‘Lion, Lion,’ and returned, followed by the dog, which she made
lie down by her as she reseated herself. In a low whisper, this woman,
whose fate deserves to be a better one, said,--‘They are going to
hang you at four o’clock; now is your time to go.’ The clock was just
striking two when I arose, and with a grateful look, left the house.
Taking the road that I had come, and following it down, I found my hat,
and after walking some distance out of the way by mistake, I reached
the station, and took the morning train for Cincinnati.”
I cannot conclude this sketch of our author’s life without alluding to
an incident which occurred at Aurora, my native town, on a visit to
that place in the winter of 1844.
Dr. Brown was advertised to speak in the old church, which he found
filled to overflowing, with an audience made up mostly of men who had
previously determined that the meeting should not be held.
The time for opening the meeting had already arrived, and the speaker
was introduced by my father, who acted as chairman.
The coughing, whistling, stamping of feet, and other noises made by
the assemblage, showed the prejudice existing against the anti-slavery
cause, the doctrines of which the speaker was there to advocate. This
tumult lasted for half an hour or more, during which time unsalable
eggs, peas, and other missiles were liberally thrown at the speaker.
One of the eggs took effect on the doctor’s face, spattering over
his nicely-ironed shirt bosom, and giving him a somewhat ungainly
appearance, which kept the audience in roars of laughter at the expense
of our fugitive friend.
Becoming tired of this sort of fun, and getting his Southern blood
fairly aroused, Dr. Brown, who, driven from the pulpit, was standing in
front of the altar, nerved himself up, assumed a highly dramatic air,
and said: “I shall not attempt to address you; no, I would not speak to
you if you wanted me to. However, let me tell you one thing, and that
is, if you had been in the South a slave as I was, none of you would
ever have had the courage to escape; none but cowards would do as you
have done here to-night.”
Dr. Brown gradually proceeded into a narrative of his own life and
escape from the South. The intense interest connected with the various
incidents as he related them, chained the audience to their seats,
and for an hour and a half he spoke, making one of the most eloquent
appeals ever heard in that section in behalf of his race.
I have often heard my father speak of it as an effort worthy of our
greatest statesmen. Before the commencement of the meeting, the mob had
obtained a bag of flour, taking it up into the belfry of the church,
directly over the entrance door, with the intention of throwing it over
the speaker as he should pass out.
One of the mob had been sent in with orders to keep as close to the
doctor as he could, and who was to give the signal for the throwing of
the flour. So great was the influence of the speaker on this man, that
his opinions were changed, and instead of giving the word, he warned
the doctor of the impending danger, saying,--“When you hear the cry of
‘let it slide,’ look out for the flour.” The fugitive had no sooner
learned these facts than he determined to have a little fun at the
expense of others.
Pressing his way forward, and getting near a group of the most
respectable of the company, including two clergymen, a physician, and
a justice of the peace, he moved along with them, and as they passed
under the belfry, the doctor cried out at the top of his voice, “Let
it slide!” when down came the flour upon the heads of some of our best
citizens, which created the wildest excitement, and caused the arrest
of those engaged in the disturbance.
Everybody regarded Dr. Brown’s aptness in this matter as a splendid
joke; and for many days after, the watchword of the boys was, “Let it
Slide!”
Dr. Brown wrote “The Negro in the Rebellion,” in 1866, which had a
rapid sale.
THE RISING SON.
CHAPTER I.
THE ETHIOPIANS AND EGYPTIANS.
The origin of the African race has provoked more criticism than any
other of the various races of man on the globe. Speculation has
exhausted itself in trying to account for the Negro’s color, features,
and hair, that distinguish him in such a marked manner from the rest of
the human family.
All reliable history, and all the facts which I have been able to
gather upon this subject, show that the African race descended from the
country of the Nile, and principally from Ethiopia.
The early history of Ethiopia is involved in great obscurity. When
invaded by the Egyptians, it was found to contain a large population,
consisting of savages, hunting and fishing tribes, wandering herdsmen,
shepherds, and lastly, a civilized class, dwelling in houses and in
large cities, possessing a government and laws, acquainted with the
use of hieroglyphics, the fame of whose progress in knowledge and the
social arts had, in the remotest ages, spread over a considerable
portion of the earth. Even at that early period, when all the nations
were in their rude and savage state, Ethiopia was full of historical
monuments, erected chiefly on the banks of the Nile.
The earliest reliable information we have of Ethiopia, is (B. C. 971)
when the rulers of that country assisted Shishank in his war against
Judea, “with very many chariots and horsemen.” Sixteen years later, we
have an account of Judea being again invaded by an army of a million
Ethiopians, unaccompanied by any Egyptian force.[1] The Ethiopian power
gradually increased until its monarchs were enabled to conquer Egypt,
where three of them reigned in succession, Sabbackon, Sevechus, and
Tarakus, the Tirhakah of Scripture.[2]
Sevechus, called so in Scripture, was so powerful a monarch that
Hoshed, king of Israel, revolted against the Assyrians, relying on his
assistance,[3] but was not supported by his ally. This indeed, was the
immediate cause of the captivity of the Ten Tribes; for “in the ninth
year of Hoshed the king, the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried
Israel away into Assyria,” as a punishment for unsuccessful rebellion.
Tirhakah was a more war-like prince; he led an army against
Sennacherib,[4] king of Assyria, then besieging Jerusalem; and the
Egyptian traditions, preserved in the age of Herodotus, give an
accurate account of the providential interposition by which the pride
of the Assyrians was humbled.
It is said that the kings of Ethiopia were always elected from the
priestly caste; and there was a strange custom for the electors, when
weary of their sovereign, to send him a courier with orders to die.
Ergamenes was the first monarch who ventured to resist this absurd
custom; he lived in the reign of the second Ptolemy, and was instructed
in Grecian philosophy. So far from yielding, he marched against the
fortress of the priests, massacred most of them, and instituted a new
religion.
Queens frequently ruled in Ethiopia; one named Candace made war on
Augustus Cæsar, about twenty years before the birth of Christ, and
though not successful, obtained peace on very favorable conditions.
The pyramids of Ethiopia, though inferior in size to those in Egypt,
are said to surpass them in architectural beauty, and the sepulchres
evince the greatest purity of taste.
But the most important and striking proof of the progress of the
Ethiopians in the art of building, is their knowledge and employment
of the arch. Hoskins has stated that their pyramids are of superior
antiquity to those of Egypt. The Ethiopian vases depicted on the
monuments, though not richly ornamented, display a taste and elegance
of form that has never been surpassed. In sculpture and coloring,
the edifices of Ethiopia, though not so profusely adorned, rival the
choicest specimens of Egyptian art.
Meroe was the _entrepot_ of trade between the North and the South,
between the East and the West, while its fertile soil enabled the
Ethiopians to purchase foreign luxuries with native productions. It
does not appear that fabrics were woven in Ethiopia so extensively
as in Egypt; but the manufacture of metal must have been at least as
flourishing.
But Ethiopia owed its greatness less to the produce of its soil or
its factories than to its position on the intersection of the leading
caravan routes of ancient commerce.
The Ethiopians were among the first nations that organized a regular
army, and thus laid the foundation of the whole system of ancient
warfare. A brief account of their military affairs will therefore
illustrate not only their history, but that of the great Asiatic
monarchies, and of the Greeks during the heroic ages. The most
important division of an Ethiopian army was the body of war-chariots,
used instead of cavalry. These chariots were mounted on two wheels and
made low; open behind, so that the warrior could easily step in and
out; and without a seat.
They were drawn by two horses and generally contained two warriors,
one of whom managed the steeds while the other fought. Nations were
distinguished from each other by the shape and color of their chariots.
Great care was taken in the manufacturing of the chariots and also of
the breeding of horses to draw them. Nothing in our time can equal
the attention paid by the ancients in the training of horses for the
battle-field.
The harness which these animals wore was richly decorated; and a quiver
and bow-case, decorated with extraordinary taste and skill, were
securely fixed to the side of each chariot. The bow was the national
weapon, employed by both cavalry and infantry. No nation of antiquity
paid more attention to archery than the Ethiopians; their arrows better
aimed than those of any other nation, the Egyptians perhaps excepted.
The children of the warrior caste were trained from early infancy to
the practice of archery.
The arms of the Ethiopians were a spear, a dagger, a short sword, a
helmet, and a shield. Pole-axes and battle-axes were occasionally
used. Coats of mail were used only by the principal officers, and some
remarkable warriors, like Goliath, the champion of the Philistines. The
light troops were armed with swords, battle-axes, maces, and clubs.
Some idea of the manly forms, great strength, and military training of
the Ethiopians, may be gathered from Herodotus, the father of ancient
history.
After describing Arabia as “a land exhaling the most delicious
fragrance,” he says,--“Ethiopia, which is the extremity of the
habitable world, is contiguous to this country on the south-west. Its
inhabitants are very remarkable for their size, their beauty, and their
length of life.”[5]
In his third book he has a detailed description of a single tribe
of this interesting people, called the Macrobian, or long-lived
Ethiopians. Cambyses, the Persian king, had made war upon Egypt,
and subdued it. He is then seized with an ambition of extending his
conquests still farther, and resolves to make war upon the Ethiopians.
But before undertaking his expedition, he sends spies into the country
disguised as friendly ambassadors, who carry costly presents from
Cambyses. They arrive at the court of the Ethiopian prince, “a man
superior to all others in the perfection of size and beauty,” who sees
through their disguise, and takes down a bow of such enormous size that
no Persian could bend it. “Give your king this bow, and in my name
speak to him thus:--
“‘The king of Ethiopia sends this counsel to the king of Persia.
When his subjects shall be able to bend this bow with the same ease
that I do, then let him venture to attack the long-lived Ethiopians.
Meanwhile, let him be thankful to the gods, that the Ethiopians have
not been inspired with the same love of conquest as himself.’”[6]
Homer wrote at least eight hundred years before Christ, and his poems
are well ascertained to be a most faithful mirror of the manners and
customs of his times, and the knowledge of his age.
In the first book of the Iliad, Achilles is represented as imploring
his goddess-mother to intercede with Jove in behalf of her aggrieved
son. She grants his request, but tells him the intercession must be
delayed for twelve days. The gods are absent. They have gone to the
distant climes of Ethiopia to join in its festal rites. “Yesterday
Jupiter went to the feast with the _blameless_ Ethiopians, away upon
the limits of the ocean, and all the gods followed together.”[7] Homer
never wastes an epithet. He often alludes to the Ethiopians elsewhere,
and always in terms of admiration and praise, as being the most just of
men; the favorites of the gods.[8]
The same allusion glimmers through the Greek mythology, and appears in
the verses of almost all the Greek poets ere the countries of Italy and
Sicily were even discovered. The Jewish Scripture and Jewish literature
abound in allusion to this distinct and mysterious people; the annals
of the Egyptian priests are full of them, uniformly the Ethiopians are
there lauded as among the best, most religious, and most civilized of
men.[9]
Let us pause here one moment, and follow the march of civilization
into Europe. Wherever its light has once burned clearly, it has been
diffused, but not extinguished. Every one knows that Rome got her
civilization from Greece; that Greece again borrowed hers from Egypt,
that thence she derived her earliest science and the forms of her
beautiful mythology.
The mythology of Homer is evidently hieroglyphical in its origin, and
has strong marks of family resemblance to the symbolical worship of
Egypt.
It descended the Nile; it spread over the delta of that river, as it
came down from Thebes, the wonderful city of a hundred gates. Thebes,
as every scholar knows, is more ancient than the cities of the
delta. The ruins of the colossal architecture are covered over with
hieroglyphics, and strewn with the monuments of Egyptian mythology. But
whence came Thebes? It was built and settled by colonies from Ethiopia,
or from cities which were themselves the settlements of that nation.
The higher we ascend the Nile, the more ancient are the ruins on which
we tread, till we come to the “hoary Meroe,” which Egypt acknowledged
to be the cradle of her institutions.
But Meroe was the queenly city of Ethiopia, into which all Africa
poured its caravans laden with ivory, frankincense, and gold. So it is
that we trace the light of Ethiopian civilization first into Egypt,
thence into Greece, and Rome, whence, gathering new splendor on its
way, it hath been diffusing itself all the world over.[10]
We now come to a consideration of the color of the Ethiopians, that
distinguish their descendants of the present time in such a marked
manner from the rest of the human race.
Adam, the father of the human family, took his name from the color of
the earth from which he was made.[11]
The Bible says but little with regard to the color of the various races
of man, and absolutely nothing as to the time when or the reasons why
these varieties were introduced. There are a few passages in which
color is descriptive of the person or the dress. Job said, “My skin is
black upon me.” Job had been sick for a long time, and no doubt this
brought about a change in his complexion. In Lamentations, it is said,
“Their visage is blacker than a coal;” also, “our skin was blacker than
an oven.” Both of these writers, in all probability, had reference to
the change of color produced by the famine. Another writer says, “I am
black, but comely.” This may have been a shepherd, and lying much in
the sun might have caused the change.
However, we now have the testimony of one whom we clearly understand,
and which is of the utmost importance in settling this question.
Jeremiah asks, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his
spots?” This refers to a people whose color is peculiar, fixed, and
unalterable. Indeed, Jeremiah seems to have been as well satisfied
that the Ethiopian was colored, as he was that the leopard had spots;
and that the one was as indelible as the other. The German translation
of Luther has “Negro-land,” for Ethiopia, _i. e._, the country of the
blacks.
All reliable history favors the belief that the Ethiopians descended
from Cush, the eldest son of Ham, who settled first in Shina in Asia.
Eusebius informs us that a colony of Asiatic Cushites settled in that
part of Africa which has since been known as Ethiopia proper. Josephus
asserts that these Ethiopians were descended from Cush, and that in
his time they were still called Cushites by themselves and by the
inhabitants of Asia. Homer divides the Ethiopians into two parts, and
Strabo, the geographer, asserts that the dividing line to which he
alluded was the Red Sea. The Cushites emigrated in part to the west
of the Red Sea; these, remaining unmixed with other races, engrossed
the general name of Cushite, or Ethiopian, while the Asiatic Cushites
became largely mingled with other nations, and are nearly or quite
absorbed, or, as a distinct people well-nigh extinct. Hence, from
the allusion of Jeremiah to the skin of the Ethiopian, confirmed and
explained by such authorities as Homer, Strabo, Herodotus, Josephus,
and Eusebius, we conclude that the Ethiopians were an African branch
of the Cushites who settled first in Asia. Ethiop, in the Greek,
means “sunburn,” and there is not the slightest doubt but that these
people, in and around Meroe, took their color from the climate. This
theory does not at all conflict with that of the common origin of man.
Although the descendants of Cush were black, it does not follow that
all the offspring of Ham were dark-skinned; but only those who settled
in a climate that altered their color.
The word of God by his servant Paul has settled forever the question of
the equal origin of the human races, and it will stand good against all
scientific research. “God hath made of one blood all the nations of men
for to dwell on all the face of the earth.”
The Ethiopians are not constitutionally different from the rest of the
human family, and therefore, we must insist upon _unity_, although we
see and admit the variety.
Some writers have endeavored to account for this difference of color,
by connecting it with the curse pronounced upon Cain. This theory,
however, has no foundation; for if Cain was the progenitor of Noah,
and if Cain’s new peculiarities were perpetuated, then, as Noah was
the father of the world’s new population, the question would be, not
how to account for any of the human family being black, but how can
we account for any being white? All this speculation as to the change
of Cain’s color, as a theory for accounting for the variety peculiar
to Cush and the Ethiopians, falls to the ground when we trace back the
genealogy of Noah, and find that he descended not from Cain, but from
Seth.
Of course Cain’s descendants, no matter what their color, became
extinct at the flood. No miracle was needed in Ethiopia to bring about
a change in the color of its inhabitants. The very fact that the nation
derived its name from the climate should be enough to satisfy the
most skeptical. What was true of the Ethiopians was also true of the
Egyptians, with regard to color; for Herodotus tells us that the latter
were colored and had curled hair.
The vast increase of the population of Ethiopia, and a wish of its
rulers to possess more territory, induced them to send expeditions down
the Nile, and towards the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Some of
these adventurers, as early as B. C. 885, took up their abode on the
Mediterranean coast, and founded the place which in later years became
the great city of Carthage. Necho, king of Egypt, a man distinguished
for his spirit of enterprise, sent an expedition (B. C. 616) around
the African coast. He employed Phœnecian navigators. This fleet sailed
down the Red Sea, passed the straits of Balel-Mandeb, and, coasting
the African continent, discovered the passage around the Cape of Good
Hope, two thousand years before its re-discovery by Dias and Vasco de
Gama. This expedition was three years in its researches, and while
gone, got out of food, landed, planted corn, and waited for the crop.
After harvesting the grain, they proceeded on their voyage. The fleet
returned to Egypt through the Atlantic Ocean, the straits of Gibralter,
and the Mediterranean.
The glowing accounts brought back by the returned navigators of the
abundance of fruits, vegetables, and the splendor of the climate
of the new country, kindled the fire of adventurous enthusiasm in
the Ethiopians, and they soon followed the example set them by the
Egyptians. Henceforward, streams of emigrants were passing over the
Isthmus of Suez, that high road to Africa, who became permanent
residents of the promised land.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] 2 Chron. xiv: 8-13.
[2] Hawkins, in his work on Meroe, identifies Tirhakah with the priest
Sethos, upon ground, we think, not tenable.
[3] 2 Kings, xvii: 4.
[4] 2 Kings, xix: 9.
[5] Herod. iii: 114.
[6] Herod iii: 21.
[7] Iliad II: 423.
[8] Iliad XXIII.
[9] Chron. xiv: 9; xvi: 8; Isaiah xlv: 14; Jeremiah xlvi: 9; Josephus
Aut. II; Heeren, vol I: p. 290.
[10] E. H. Sears, in the “Christian Examiner,” July, 1846.
[11] Josephus Ant., Vol. I: p. 8.