A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. HavilandHaviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Religion
A Woman's Life-Work — Labors and Experiences of Laura S. Haviland
Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith)
Freed persons; Haviland, Laura S. (Laura Smith), 1808-1898; Underground Railroad
I visited the orphanage a number of times. The matron said the little
fellow learned his name very readily. Here was a pair of twin boys,
about two years old, very black and smart. As they quarreled so much of
the time, Judge Fitzhugh proposed to name them Abe and Jeff, after the
two Presidents. Though a strong Confederate, he said they were smarter
than any white children he ever saw, and to prove his position he
called them out to dance, as he had taught them to step the figure. He
sang for them, and they danced to his music.
"There, I'll venture to say," he said, "you never saw two white
children of their age do that. I tell you the negro race is naturally
smarter than the Anglo-Saxon."
I told him I was surprised at this remark, when he had told me a few
minutes before that the negroes would soon die out, because they could
not take care of themselves.
"That is true," he rejoined, "and I have written a book in which I take
the same position, and can prove it. They will do more work than white
people can, but they lack calculation; hence the necessity of their
being under the supervision of the whites." We have the planning
faculty, and they have the ability to do the work. There is therefore a
necessity for both races to work together to be a successful people. I
repeat what I told you before, that we never shall prosper separated.
The power of governing must remain with the Anglo-Saxon race, and God
has so designed. The Yankees have made a sad mistake in freeing the
slave, for in time they will become extinct; but God will never suffer
this state of things to remain, and you will see the South in power in
two years, and the North minus the power she now wields.
I cited him to black men in Canada, who had escaped from slavery and
who had acquired wealth, and to one of the wealthiest livery men in
their own city. I also referred to a shoemaker who had been free but a
few months.
His credit was sufficient to purchase ten dollars' worth of stock,
which he made up and sold, paying for his stock; he then made another
purchase and was hard at work to purchase a little home. His wife was
washing and house-cleaning, with the same object in view. They told me
they allowed themselves meat but once a week, and lived on corn-bread,
mush, and molasses, and that they intended to live and work in this way
until they should succeed.
"Does not this look like calculation?" I asked.
"I admit," he said, "there are isolated cases, but it is not the rule."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account