BELTON FINDS A FRIEND.
Long before the rifle ball, the cannon shot, and the exploding shell
were through their fiendish task of covering the earth with mortals
slain; while the startled air was yet busy in hurrying to Heaven
the groans of the dying soldier, accompanied as they were by the
despairing shrieks of his loved ones behind; while horrid War, in
frenzied joy, yet waved his bloody sword over the nation's head, and
sought with eager eagle eyes every drop of clotted gore over which he
might exult; in the midst of such direful days as these, there were
those at the North whom the love of God and the eye of faith taught to
leap over the scene of strife to prepare the trembling negro for the
day of freedom, which, refusing to have a dawn, had burst in meridian
splendor upon his dazzled gaze.
Into the southland there came rushing consecrated Christians, men and
women, eager to provide for the negro a Christian education. Those
who stayed behind gathered up hoarded treasures and gladly poured them
into the lap of the South for the same laudable purpose. As a result
of the coming of this army of workers, bearing in their arms millions
of money, ere many years had sped, well nigh every southern state
could proudly boast of one or more colleges where the aspiring negro
might quench has thirst for knowledge.
So when Bernard and Belton had finished their careers at the
Winchester public school, colleges abounded in the South beckoning
them to enter. Bernard preferred to go to a northern institution, and
his mother sent him to enter Harvard University.
Belton was poor and had no means of his own with which to pursue his
education; but by the hand of providence a most unexpected door was
opened to him. The Winchester correspondent of the _Richmond Daily
Temps_ reported the commencement exercises of the Winchester public
school of the day that Belton graduated. The congressman present
at the exercises spoke so highly of Belton's speech that the
correspondent secured a copy from Belton and sent it to the editor of
_The Temps_.
This was printed in _The Temps_ and created a great sensation in
political and literary circles in every section of the country. Every
newspaper of any consequence reproduced the oration in full. It was
published and commented upon by the leading journals of England. The
President of the United States wrote a letter of congratulation to
Belton. Everywhere the piece was hailed as a classic.
After reading the oration, Mr. V.M. King, editor of _The Temps_,
decided to take it home with him and read it to his wife. She met him
at the door and as he kissed her she noticed that there was a sober
look in his eye. Tenderly he brushed back a few stray locks of his
wife's hair, saying as he did so, in a somewhat troubled tone: "Wife,
it has come at last. May the good Lord cease not to watch over our
beloved but erring land." She inquired as to what he meant. He led her
to his study and read to her Belton's oration.
In order to understand the words which we have just quoted as being
spoken by him to his wife, let us, while he reads, become a little
better acquainted with Mr. King and his paper, _The Temps_.
Mr. King was born and reared in Virginia, was educated at a Northern
University, and had sojourned for several years in England. He was a
man of the broadest culture. For several years he had given the negro
problem most profound study. His views on the subject were regarded
by the white people of the South as ultra-liberal. These views he
exploited through his paper, _The Temps_, with a boldness and vigor,
gaining thereby great notoriety.
Though a democrat in politics, he was most bitterly opposed to the
practice, almost universal in the South, of cheating the negro out
of his right to vote. He preached that it was unjust to the negro and
fatal to the morals of the whites.
On every possible occasion he viciously assaulted the practice of
lynching, denouncing it in most scathing terms. In short, he was an
outspoken advocate of giving the negro every right accorded him by the
Constitution of the United States.
He saw the South leading the young negro boy and girl to school,
where, at the expense of the state, they were taught to read history
and learn what real liberty was, and the glorious struggles through
which the human race had come in order to possess it. He foresaw that
the rising, educated negro would allow his eye to linger long on
this bloody but glorious page until that most contagious of diseases,
devotion to liberty, infected his soul.
He reasoned that the negro who had endured the hardships of slavery
might spend his time looking back and thanking God for that from
which he had made his escape; but the young negro, knowing nothing
of physical slavery, would be peering into the future, measuring the
distance that he had yet to go before he was truly free, and would
be asking God and his own right arm for the power to secure whatever
rights were still withheld.
He argued that, living as the negro did beneath the American flag,
known as the flag of freedom, studying American history, and listening
on the outer edge of great Fourth of July crowds to eloquent orators
discourse on freedom, it was only a matter of a few years before the
negro would deify liberty as the Anglo-Saxon race had done, and count
it a joy to perish on her altar.
In order that the Republic might ever stand, he knew that the
principles of liberty would have to be continually taught with all
the eloquence and astuteness at command; and if this teaching had the
desired effect upon the white man it would also be powerful enough to
awaken the negro standing by his side.
So, his ear was to the ground, expecting every moment to hear the
far off sounds of awakened negroes coming to ask for liberty, and if
refused, to slay or be slain.
When he read Belton's oration he saw that the flame of liberty was in
his heart, her sword in his hand, and the disdain of death stamped on
his brow. He felt that Belton was the morning star which told by its
presence that dawn was near at hand.
Thus it was that he said to his wife: "Wife, it has come at last. May
the good Lord cease not to watch over our beloved land."
This expression was not the offspring of fear as to the outcome of a
possible conflict, for, Anglo-Saxon like, that was with him a foregone
conclusion in favor of his own race. But he shuddered at the awful
carnage that would of necessity ensue if two races, living house to
house, street to street, should be equally determined upon a question
at issue, equally disdainful of life, fighting with the rancor always
attendant upon a struggle between two races that mutually despise and
detest each other.
He knew that it was more humane, more in accordance with right, more
acceptable with God, to admit to the negro that Anglo-Saxon doctrine
of the equality of man was true, rather than to murder the negro for
accepting him at his word, though spoken to others.
Feeling thus, he pleaded with his people to grant to the negro his
rights, though he never hinted at a possible rebellion, for fear that
the mention of it might hasten the birth of the idea in the brain of
the negro.
That evening, after he had read the oration to his wife and told her
of his forebodings, he sat with his face buried in his hands, brooding
over the situation. Late in the night he retired to rest, and the next
morning, when he awoke, his wife was standing by his bed, calling him.
She saw that his sleep was restless and thought that he was having
troubled dreams. And so he was.
He dreamed that a large drove of fatted swine were munching acorns
in a very dense forest of oaks, both tall and large. The oaks were
sending the acorns down in showers, and the hogs were greedily
consuming them. The hogs ate so many that they burst open, and from
their rotting carcasses fresh oaks sprang and grew with surprising
rapidity. A dark cloud arose and a terrible hurricane swept over the
forest; and the old and new oaks fought furiously in the storm, until
a loud voice, like unto that of a God, cried out above all the din of
the hurricane, saying in tones of thunder: "Know ye not that ye are
parents and children? Parents, recognize your children. Children, be
proud of the parents from whom you spring."
The hurricane ceased, the clouds sped away as if in terror, and
the oaks grew up together under a clear sky of the purest blue, and
beautiful birds of all kinds built their nests in the trees, and
carolled forth the sweetest songs.
He placed upon the dream the following interpretation:
The swine were the negroes. The oak trees were the white people. The
acorns were the doctrine of human liberty, everywhere preached by
Anglo-Saxons. The negroes, feasting off of the same thought, had
become the same kind of being as the white man, and grew up to a point
of equality. The hurricane was the contest between the two races over
the question of equality. The voice was intended to inform the whites
that they had brought about these aspirations in the bosom of
the negro, and that the liberty-loving negro was their legitimate
offspring, and not a bastard. The whites should recognize their own
doings. On the other hand, the negro should not be over boastful, and
should recognize that the lofty conception of the dignity of man
and value and true character of liberty were taught him by
the Anglo-Saxon. The birds betokened a happy adjustment of all
differences; and the dream that began in the gloom of night ended in
the dawn of day.
Mr. King was very cheerful, therefore, and decided to send to
Winchester for Belton, thinking that it might be a wise thing to keep
an eye and a friendly hand on a young negro of such promise. In
the course of a couple of days, Belton, in response to his request,
arrived in Richmond. He called at the office of _The Temps_ and was
ushered into Mr. King's office.
Mr. King had him take a seat. He enquired of Belton his history,
training, etc. He also asked as to his plans for the future. Finding
that Belton was desirous of securing a college education, but was
destitute of funds, Mr. King gladly embraced the opportunity of
displaying his kind interest. He offered to pay Belton's way through
college, and the offer was gladly accepted.
He told Belton to call at his home that evening at seven o'clock to
receive a check for his entire college course. At the appointed hour
Belton appeared at Mr. King's residence.
Mr. King was sitting on his front porch, between his wife and aged
mother, while his two children, a girl and boy, were playing on the
lawn. Belton was invited to take a seat, much to his surprise.
Seeing a stranger, the children left their play and came to their
father, one on each side. They looked with questioning eyes from
father to Belton, as if seeking to know the purpose of the visit.
Mr. King took the check from his pocket and extended it toward Belton,
and said: "Mr. Piedmont, this will carry you through college. I have
only one favor to ask of you. In all your dealings with my people
recognize the fact that there are two widely separated classes of us,
and that there is a good side to the character of the worst class.
Always seek for and appeal to that side of their nature."
Belton very feelingly thanked Mr. King, and assured him that he would
treasure his words. He was true to his promise, and decided from that
moment to never class all white men together, whatever might be the
provocation, and to never regard any class as totally depraved.
This is one of the keys to his future life. Remember it.