Unfettered: A NovelGriggs, Sutton E. (Sutton Elbert)
General
Unfettered: A Novel
Griggs, Sutton E. (Sutton Elbert)
African Americans -- Fiction; United States -- Race relations -- Fiction
Secondly, the people of the North were in no mood to be hurried as to their
policy with regard to the Filipinos. They had before them the example of
Negroes of the South even then calling upon the North to return and set
them free again. With this example of imperfect work before them the people
of the North refused to be wrought up into a great frenzy of excitement
over giving titular independence to the Filipinos.
Thirdly, Dorlan discovered that the election, instead of revealing a
decline in altruism, on the contrary, gave evidence of the broadening and
deepening of that spirit. He now saw in the verdict of the North the high
resolve to begin at the very foundation and actually lift the Filipinos to
such a plane that they would not only have freedom, but the power to
properly exercise and preserve the same. Instead of losing its position as
the teacher of nations, our government was, he saw, to confirm its title to
that proud position. So nobly, so thoroughly, was it to do its work of
leading the Filipinos into all the blessings of higher civilization, that
other nations in contact with weaker peoples might find here a guide for
their statesmen to follow. Thus he found written in the _hearts_ of the
noble people of the North the plank which provided adequately for the
ultimate status of the Filipinos, which plank he had earnestly longed to
see appear in the platforms of all political parties aspiring for the
control of the government.
His faith in the people did not, however, influence him to forget that
"eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." He was still of the opinion
that the nation needed a balance wheel, needed a free lance ready to bear
down upon all who, drunk with the wine of prosperity or maddened by greed
for gain, might seek to lure the American people from the faith of the
fathers.
Thus Dorlan, intending to begin anew his movement which we saw so
tragically interrupted, returned to R----, only to suffer a second
interruption in a manner now to be detailed.
One afternoon as Dorlan sat in his room in the city of R----, musing on the
task before him, his elbows on the table and his noble, handsome face
resting in his hands, rich music, as on a former occasion more than a year
ago, came floating up to him. The music revealed the touch and the voice of
Morlene. He had not seen nor heard from her since that eventful night on
which she labored so valiantly to save his life.
Dorlan arose and went down stairs with a view to renewing his acquaintance
with Morlene. He knew nothing whatever of Harry's death, which had
transpired in his absence. Dorlan entered the room where Morlene was
playing. She turned to receive the new comer whoever it might be. A joyful
exclamation escaped her lips when she perceived that it was Dorlan.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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