1776; received in Paris the advantages of European culture; fought
under Rigaud against Toussaint; and in consequence of the success of
the latter, quitted the island. Boyer returned to Hayti in Leclerc's
expedition: he, however, separated from the French general-in-chief,
placed himself at the head of his own color, and aided in vindicating
the claims of his race to freedom in the last struggle with the French.
On the death of Dessalines, Christophe, already master of the north,
sought to take the south out of the hands of Petion. Boyer assisted his
fellow-mulatto in driving off the black general. This act endeared him
to the former. Gratitude, as well as regard to the common interest,
gave Boyer the president's chair, on the death of Petion. Raised to
that dignity, he employed his power and his energies to complete those
economical and administrative reforms with which he had already been
connected under his predecessor. To labor for the public good was the
end of his life. In this worthy enterprise he was greatly assisted,
no less by his knowledge than his moderation. Well acquainted with
the character of the people that he was called to govern, conversant
with all the interests of the state, he had it in his power to effect
his purpose by mild as well as judicious measures. Yet were the
wounds deep which he had to heal; and he could accomplish in a brief
period only a small part of that which it will require generations to
carry to perfection. At the death of Christophe, in 1820, Boyer was
proclaimed president of the north and south. In 1822, the Spanish part
of the island, with its own accord, joined the republic; and thus,
from Cape Tiburn to Cape Engano, Hayti was peacefully settled under
one government, with Boyer at its head. At length, in 1825, after the
recognition of Hayti by others, the French, under Charles X., sold
to its inhabitants the rights which they had won by their swords,
for the sum of one hundred and fifty millions of francs, to be paid
as an indemnity to the old planters. The peace with France created a
more fraternal feeling between the two countries, and Hayti now began
to regain her ancient commercial advantages, and every thing seemed
prosperous. In the year 1843, a party opposed to the president made
its appearance, which formed itself into a conspiracy to overthrow the
government. Seeing that he could not make head against it, Boyer, in
disgust, took leave of the people in a dignified manner, and retired to
Jamaica, where, a few years since, he died.
Though called a mulatto, Boyer was nearly black, and his long residence
in Europe gave him a polish in manners foreign to the island. He was
a brave man, a good soldier, and proved himself a statesman of no
ordinary ability. When he came into power, the mountains were filled
with Maroons, headed by a celebrated chief named Gomar. Regaud and
Petion had tried in vain to rid the country of these brigands. Boyer
soon broke up their strongholds, dispersed them, and finally destroyed
or brought them all under subjection. By his good judgment, management,
and humanity, he succeeded in uniting the whole island under one
government, and gained the possession of what Christophe had exhausted
himself with efforts to obtain, and what Petion had sighed for,
without daring to cherish a single hope that its attainment could be
accomplished. Boyer was blameless in his private life.
JAMES M'CUNE SMITH, M. D.
Unable to get justice done him in the educational institutions of his
native country, James M'Cune Smith turned his face towards a foreign
land. He graduated with distinguished honors at the University of
Glasgow, Scotland, where he received his diploma of M. D. For the last
twenty-five years he has been a practitioner in the city of New York,
where he stands at the head of his profession. On his return from
Europe, the doctor was warmly welcomed by his fellow-citizens, who were
anxious to pay due deference to his talents; since which time, he has
justly been esteemed among the leading men of his race on the American
continent. When the natural ability of the negro was assailed, some
years ago, in New York, Dr. Smith came forward as the representative of
the black man, and his essays on the comparative anatomy and physiology
of the races, read in the discussion, completely vindicated the
character of the negro, and placed the author among the most logical
and scientific writers in the country.
The doctor has contributed many valuable papers to the different
journals published by colored men during the last quarter of a
century. The New York dailies have also received aid from him during
the same period. History, antiquity, bibliography, translation,
criticism, political economy, statistics,--almost every department
of knowledge,--receive emblazon from his able, ready, versatile, and
unwearied pen. The emancipation of the slave, and the elevation of the
free colored people, has claimed the greatest share of his time as a
writer. The following, from the doctor, will give but a poor idea of
his style:--
"FREEDOM--LIBERTY.
"Freedom and liberty are not synonyms. Freedom is an essence;
liberty, an accident. Freedom is born within man; liberty
may be conferred on him. Freedom is progressive; liberty is
circumscribed. Freedom is the gift of God; liberty, the creature
of society. Liberty may be taken away from man; but on whatsoever
soul freedom may alight, the course of that soul is thenceforth
onward and upward; society, customs, laws, armies, are but as
withes in its giant grasp, if they oppose--instruments to work its
will, if they assent. Human kind welcome the birth of a free soul
with reverence and shoutings, rejoicing in the advent of a fresh
offshoot of the divine whole, of which this is but a part."
His article in the _Anglo-African Magazine_, on "Citizenship," is one
of the most logical arguments ever written in this country upon that
subject. In the same journal, Dr. Smith has an essay on "The Fourteenth
Query of Thomas Jefferson's Notes on Virginia," not surpassed by any
thing which we have seen. These are the result of choice study, of nice
observation, of fine feeling, of exquisite fancy, of consummate art,
and the graceful tact of the scholar. Space will not allow us to select
the many choice bits that we could cull from the writings of James
M'Cune Smith.
The law of labor is equally binding on genius and mediocrity. The
mind and body rarely visit this earth of ours so exactly fitted to
each other, and so perfectly harmonizing together, as to rise without
effort, and command in the affairs of men. It is not in the power
of every one to become great. No great approximation, even toward
that which is easiest attained, can ever be accomplished without the
exercise of much thought and vigor of action; and thus is demonstrated
the supremacy of that law which gives excellence only when earned, and
assigns to labor its unfailing reward.
It is this energy of character, industry, and labor, combined with
great intellectual powers, which has given Dr. Smith so much influence
in New York. As a speaker, he is eloquent, and, at times, brilliant,
but always clear and to the point. In stature, the doctor is not
tall, but thick, and somewhat inclined to corpulency. He has a fine
and well-developed head, broad and lofty brow, round, full face, firm
mouth, and an eye that dazzles. In blood, he appears to be rather more
Anglo-Saxon than African.
BISHOP PAYNE.
Teacher of a small school at Charleston, South Carolina, in the year
1834, Daniel A. Payne felt the oppressive hand of slavery too severely
upon him, and he quitted the southern Sodom and came north. After going
through a regular course of theological studies at Gettysburg Seminary,
he took up his residence at Baltimore, where he soon distinguished
himself as a preacher in the African Methodist denomination. He was
several years since elected bishop, and is now located in the State of
Ohio.
Bishop Payne is a scholar and a poet; having published, in 1850, a
volume of his productions, which created considerable interest for the
work, and gave the author a standing among literary men. His writings
are characterized by sound reasoning and logical conclusions, and
show that he is well read. The bishop is devotedly attached to his
down-trodden race, and is constantly urging upon them self-elevation.
After President Lincoln's interview with the committee of colored men
at Washington, and the colonization scheme recommended to them, and the
appearance of Mr. Pomeroy's address to the free blacks, Bishop Payne
issued the following note of advice, which was published in the _Weekly
Anglo-African_:--
"_To the Colored People of the United States._
"MEN, BRETHREN, SISTERS: A crisis is upon us which no one can
enable us to meet, conquer, and convert into blessings for all
concerned, but that God who builds up one nation and breaks down
another.
"For more than one generation, associations of white men, entitled
Colonization Societies, have been engaged in plans and efforts for
our expatriation; these have been met sometimes by denunciations,
sometimes by ridicule, often by argument; but now the American
government has assumed the work and responsibility of colonizing
us in some foreign land within the torrid zone, and is now
maturing measures to consummate this scheme of expatriation.
"But let us never forget that there is a vast difference between
voluntary associations of men and the legally constituted
authorities of a country; while the former may be held in utter
contempt, the latter must always be respected. To do so is a moral
and religious, as well as a political duty.
"The opinions of the government are based upon the ideas, that
_white men and colored men cannot live together as equals in
the same country_; and that unless a voluntary and peaceable
separation is effected _now_, the time _must come when there will
be a war of extermination_ between the two races.
"Now, in view of these opinions and purposes of the government,
what shall we do? My humble advice is, before all, and first of
all,--even before we say _yea_ or _nay_,--let us seek from the
mouth of God. Let every heart be humbled, and every knee bent in
prayer before him. Throughout all this land of our captivity, in
all this house of our bondage, let our cries ascend perpetually to
Heaven for aid and direction.
"To your knees, I say, O ye oppressed and enslaved ones of this
Christian republic, to your knees, _and be there_.
"Before the throne of God, if nowhere else, the black man can meet
his white brother as an equal, and be heard.
"It has been said that he is the God of the white man, and not of
the black. This is horrible blasphemy--a _lie_ from the pit that
is bottomless--believe it not--no--never. Murmur not against the
Lord on account of the cruelty and injustice of man. His almighty
arm is already stretched out against slavery--against every man,
every constitution, and every union that upholds it. His avenging
chariot is now moving over the bloody fields of the doomed south,
crushing beneath its massive wheels the very foundations of the
blasphemous system. Soon slavery shall sink like Pharaoh--even
like that brazen-hearted tyrant, it shall sink to rise no more
forever.
"Haste ye, then, O, hasten to your God; pour the sorrows of your
crushed and bleeding hearts into his sympathizing bosom. It is
true that 'on the side of the oppressor there is power'--the
power of the purse and the power of the sword. That is terrible.
But listen to what is still _more terrible_: on the side of the
oppressed there is the _strong arm_ of the Lord, the Almighty God
of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob--before his redeeming power the
two contending armies, hostile to each other, and hostile to you,
are like chaff before the whirlwind.
"_Fear not, but believe._ He who is for you is more than they who
are against you. Trust in him--hang upon his arm--go, hide beneath
the shadow of his wings.
"O God! Jehovah-jireh! wilt thou not hear us? We are poor,
helpless, unarmed, despised. Is it not time for thee to hear the
cry of the needy--to judge the poor of the people--to break in
pieces the oppressor.
"Be, O, be unto us what thou wast unto Israel in the land of
Egypt, our Counsellor and Guide--our Shield and Buckler--_our
Great Deliverer_--_our Pillar of cloud by day_--_our Pillar of
fire by night_!
"Stand between us and our enemies, O thou angel of the Lord!
Be unto us a shining light--to our enemies, confusion and
impenetrable darkness. Stand between us till this Red Sea be
crossed, and thy redeemed, _now_ sighing, bleeding, weeping, shall
shout and sing, for joy, the bold anthem of the free."
A deep vein of genuine piety pervades nearly all the productions
of Bishop Payne. As a pulpit orator, he stands deservedly high. In
stature, he is rather under the medium size, about three fourths
African, rather sharper features than the average of his race, and
appears to be about fifty years of age. He is very popular, both as
a writer and a speaker, with his own color. The moral, social, and
political standard of the black man has been much elevated by the
influence of Bishop Payne.
WILLIAM STILL.
The long connection of Mr. Still with the anti-slavery office, in a
city through which fugitive slaves had to pass in their flight from
bondage, and the deep interest felt by him for the freedom and general
welfare of his race, have brought him prominently before the public.
It would not be good policy to say how many persons passed through
his hands while on their way to the north or the British dominions,
even if we knew. But it is safe to say that no man has been truer
to the fleeing slave than he. In the first town where I stopped in
Canada, while on a visit there a year since, I took a walk through the
market one Saturday morning, and saw a large sprinkling of men and
women who had escaped from the south. As soon as it was understood
that I was from "the States," I was surrounded and overwhelmed with
inquiries about places and persons. A short, stout, full-faced,
energetically-talking woman, looking me fairly in the eyes, said, "Were
you ever in Philadelphia, sonny?" I answered that I had been there.
"Did you know Mr. Still?" "Yes," said I: "do you know him?" "God love
your heart! I reckon I does. He put me fru dat city on a swingin' limb,
dat he did. Ah! he's a man dat can be depended on." This was only the
opening; for as soon as it was known that I was well acquainted with
William Still, the conversation turned entirely upon him, and I was
surprised to see so many before me whom he had assisted. And though
there were some present who complained of other Underground Railroad
conductors, not a single word was uttered against Mr. Still; but all
united in the strongest praise of him. In every town that I visited
during a stay of ten weeks in Canada, I met persons who made feeling
inquiries after him, and I was glad to find that all regarded him as
a benefactor. Mr. Still is well educated, has good talents, and has
cultivated them. He is an interesting and forcible writer, and some of
the stories of escaped slaves, which he has contributed to the press,
will challenge criticism. A correspondent of one of the public journals
sent the following account to his paper of an interview which he had
with Mr. Still the day previous:--
"We sat down to talk. The ultimate destiny of the black man was
discussed, our host opening that his struggle for a habitation and a
name must be in America. He said that his people were attached to the
republic, notwithstanding many disadvantages imposed upon them, their
hope being strong that patience and good citizenship would eventually
soften the prejudices of the whites. Tempered as they were to our
habits and climate, it would be cruel to place them on a strand but
dimly known, where, surrounded by savages, they might become savage
themselves.
"There was to us a sincere pleasure in our host's discourse. He is one
of the leading public men among his people, and has much of the ease
and polish peculiar to the well-bred Caucasian. He laughed at times,
but never boisterously, and in profounder moments threw a telling
solemnity into his tone and expression. When the head was averted, we
heard, in well-modulated speech, such vigorous sentences and thoughtful
remarks, that the identity of the speaker with the proscribed race
was half forgotten; but the biased eyesight revealed only a dusky son
of Ham. On a 'what-not' table were clustered a number of books. Most
of them were anti-slavery publications, although there were several
volumes of sermons, and a few philosophical and historical books. We
turned the conversation to literature. He was well acquainted with the
authors he had read, and ventured some criticisms, indicative of study.
From the earnestness of the man, it seemed that the interests of his
race were very dear to him.
"It is but just to say, that he has passed many years in constant
companionship with Caucasians."
Mr. Still is somewhat tall, neat in figure and person, has a smiling
face, is unadulterated in blood, and gentlemanly in his intercourse
with society. He is now extensively engaged in the stove and fuel
trade, keeps five or six men employed, and has the patronage of some of
the first families of Philadelphia. He has the entire confidence of
all who know and appreciate his moral worth and business talents.
EDWIN M. BANNISTER.
Edwin M. Bannister was born in the town of St. Andrew, New Brunswick,
and lost his father when only six years old. He attended the grammar
school in his native place, and received a better education than
persons generally in his position. From early childhood he seems to
have had a fancy for painting, which showed itself in the school room
and at home. He often drew portraits of his school-fellows, and the
master not unfrequently found himself upon the slate, where Edwin's
success was so manifest that the likeness would call forth merriment
from the boys, and create laughter at the expense of the teacher. At
the death of his mother, when still in his minority, he was put out
to live with the Hon. Harris Hatch, a wealthy lawyer, the proprietor
of a fine farm some little distance in the country. In his new home
Edwin did not lose sight of his drawing propensities, and though the
family had nothing in the way of models except two faded portraits,
kept more as relics than for their intrinsic value, he nevertheless
practised upon them, and often made the copy look more life-like than
the original. On the barn doors, fences, and every place where drawings
could be made, the two ancient faces were to be seen pictured. When
the family were away on the Sabbath at church, the young artist would
take possession of the old Bible, and copy its crude engravings, then
replace it upon the dusty shelf, feeling an inward gratification,
that, instead of satisfying the inclination, only gave him fresh zeal
to hunt for new models. By the great variety of drawings which he had
made on paper, and the correct sketches taken, young Bannister gained
considerable reputation in the lawyer's family, as well as in the
neighborhood. Often, after the household had retired at night, the
dim glimmer from the lean tallow candle was seen through the attic
chamber window. It was there that the genius of the embryo artist was
struggling for development. Nearly every wall in the dwelling had
designs or faces pencilled upon it, and many were the complaints that
the women made against the lad. At last he turned his steps towards
Boston, with the hope that he might get a situation with a painter,
never dreaming that his color would be a barrier to the accomplishment
of such an object. Weeks were spent by the friendless, homeless, and
penniless young man, and every artist had seen his face and heard his
wish to become a painter. But visiting these establishments brought
nothing to sustain nature, and Mr. Bannister took up the business of
a hair-dresser, merely as a means of getting bread, but determined to
leave it as soon as an opening presented itself with an artist. The
canvas, the paint, the easel, and the pallet were brought in, and the
hair-dressing saloon was turned into a studio.
There is a great diversity of opinion with regard to genius, many
mistaking talent for genius. Talent is strength and subtilty of mind;
genius is mental inspiration and delicacy of feeling. Talent possesses
vigor and acuteness of penetration, but is surpassed by the vivid
intellectual conceptions of genius. The former is skilful and bold, the
latter aspiring and gentle. But talent excels in practical sagacity;
and hence those striking contrasts so often witnessed in the world--the
triumph of talent through its adroit and active energies, and the
adversities of genius in the midst of its boundless but unattainable
aspirations.
Mr. Bannister possesses genius, which is now showing itself in his
studio in Boston; for he has long since thrown aside the scissors and
the comb, and transfers the face to the canvas, instead of taking the
hair from the head. His portraits are correct representations of the
originals, and he is daily gaining admirers of his talent and taste. He
has painted several pictures from his own designs, which exhibit his
genius. "Wall Street at Home," represents the old gent, seated in his
easy chair, boots off and slippers on, and intently reading the last
news. The carpet with its variegated colors, the hat upon the table,
the cloak thrown carelessly across a chair, and the pictures hanging
on the walls, are all brought out with their lights and shades. A
beautiful landscape, representing summer, with the blue mountains in
the distance, the heated sky, and the foliage to match, is another of
his pieces. It is indeed commendable in Mr. Bannister, that he has thus
far overcome the many obstacles thrown in his way by his color, and
made himself an honor to his race.
Mr. Bannister is spare-made, slim, with an interesting cast of
countenance, quick in his walk, and easy in his manners. He is a lover
of poetry and the classics, and is always hunting up some new model for
his gifted pencil and brush. He has a picture representing "Cleopatra
waiting to receive Marc Antony," which I regret that I did not see.
I am informed, however, that it is a beautifully-executed picture.
Mr. Bannister has a good education, is often called upon to act as
secretary to public meetings, and is not by any means a bad speaker,
when on the platform. Still young, enterprising, and spirited, we shall
be mistaken if Edwin M. Bannister does not yet create a sensation in
our country as an artist.
LEONARD A. GRIMES.
Leonard A. Grimes is a native of Leesburg, Loudon county, Va., and was
born in 1815. He went to Washington when a boy, and was first employed
in a butcher's shop, and afterwards in an apothecary's establishment.
He subsequently hired himself out to a slaveholder, whose confidence
he soon gained. Accompanying his employer in some of his travels in
the remote Southern States, young Grimes had an opportunity of seeing
the different phases of slave life; and its cruelty created in his
mind an early hatred to the institution which has never abated. He
could not resist the appeals of the bondmen for aid in making their
escape to a land of freedom, and consequently was among the first to
take stock in the Underground Railroad. After saving money enough by
his earnings, he purchased a hack and horses, and became a hackman
in the city of Washington. In his new vocation, Mr. Grimes met with
success, and increased his business until he was the owner of a number
of carriages and horses, and was considered one of the foremost men in
his line. During all this time he never lost sight of the slave, and
there is no telling how many he put on the road to Canada. A poor woman
and her seven children were about being carried away to the far south
by the slave-trader. Her husband, a free black, sought out Leonard A.
Grimes, and appealed to his humanity, and not in vain; for in less than
forty-eight hours, the hackman penetrated thirty miles into Virginia,
and, under cover of night, brought out the family. The husband, wife,
and little ones, a few days after, breathed the free air of Canada.
Mr. Grimes was soon suspected, arrested, tried, and sentenced to two
years in the state prison, at Richmond. Here he remained; and the
close, dank, air, the gloom, the high, dull, cold, stone walls, the
heavy fetters upon his limbs, the entire lack of any thing external
to distract his thoughts from his situation, all together, produced a
feeling of depression he had never known before. It was at this time
that Mr. Grimes "felt," as he says, "that great spiritual change which
makes all things new for the soul." From that hour he became a preacher
to his keepers, and, as far as he was allowed, to his fellow-prisoners.
This change lightened his confinement, and caused him to feel that he
was sent there to do his Master's will.