Eminent Colored Men and Women—Bishop Daniel E. Payne—Frederick Douglass—His Life and Times—Mrs. Frances Ellen Harper—Miss Louise de Mortie.

One of the hardest things in the world is to keep down a man who is determined to rise. He comes up like a plant of spontaneous growth, and the more we try to keep him down, the more he will persevere in his determination to stand upon his own feet like other men. This was often shown in the days before the war, when the bold, intrepid slave, who clearly saw that the whole system was wrong, made up his mind at least to be free, and the next thing we hear of him is a daring and successful attempt to shake off the chains of slavery, through his successful escape to the free States of the North, or to Canada, or even to Europe.

But this determined spirit to at least be free, did not confine itself merely to such adventurous and successful escapes, but assumed the form of acquiring an education also; and no better illustration of this can be given than that of the late Bishop Daniel E. Payne, of the A. M. E. Church, who was born in South Carolina, in the year 1811. The heinous system of slavery in that rebellious State treated as a crime the teaching of any slave or free colored person whatsoever. But Daniel E. Payne had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and in order to flank the evil system that then prevailed, and to gain that knowledge to which he was as much entitled as the President of the United States himself, he procured the assistance of a friendly white man, who taught him in a cellar, where neither friend nor foe could see what they were doing. Daniel was an apt and clever student, and above all things, as the Bible says, "He had a mind to work," and an enthusiastic mind at that. It did not take this young hero long to take in the entire situation regarding slave lands and slavery when once his mind had begun to expand. Like Moses and many other famous leaders, the Lord had work for him to do, and he was preparing him for it at this time.

Young Payne saw that South Carolina was no place for him, and that the first duty he owed to himself was to get away as best he could, to the Northern States, where he could enjoy his own manly and manful rights. As fortune favors the brave, he succeeded in making his escape, and his freedom being now secure, he made all due haste to become that eminent scholar, who was destined by the will of God, to become a leader and an instructor of his people. He connected himself with the A. M. E. Church, and through and by means of that powerful body he did mighty things for the education of his own people, both before the war and after it. He has justly been called "The Apostle of Education," and what the great Fred. Douglass was in the political world, Daniel E. Payne was in the educational and intellectual world. Such a man as Bishop Payne should be revered as a philanthropist for all coming time. The colored race will never be able to say that they are out of his debt. At last he was made a bishop of his own church, and became the head of Wilberforce University, in Ohio—a glorious institution that had made itself felt by its influence over all this nation. Bishop Payne was sent to Europe for a time in the interest of his church, and his high qualities were everywhere honored by the Christian and scholars across the Atlantic.

Thus we see in Daniel Payne a diamond in the rough, in the slave State of South Carolina, but by the predetermined will of God, brought to the free North and polished, as it were, by the hand of the jeweler. We see all the work that the great Creator had given him to do, and how well he did it, too. And what we have said of Payne could as well be said of thousands of others—men in whom the spirit of right and ambition dwells; men who ever forge to the front: men whom God helps, because He sees that they are also willing to help themselves.

We next come to the far-famed and highly-celebrated Frederick Douglass, renowned over all the earth wherever honest worth is appreciated and valued by the civilized sons and daughters of Adam. The name of "Fred. Douglass," as he is affectionately called, stands out in alto-relief with that of John Bunyan, George Washington, and some few others who carry fame and goodness with them at one and the same time. Nobody seems to be jealous of them nor envy them, for their fame is far beyond the reach of jealousy or envy. It would be a difficult thing to find a village, valley or an isle of any ocean on the face of the globe where the familiar endearing name of Fred. Douglass has not been heard. The children growing up at their mothers' knees have learned to lisp it as a name to be revered; and when they grow up to man's estate, nothing will content them until they have read the life of the famous Fred. Douglass.

The opinion, or rather the belief, has prevailed in America that Fred. Douglass was the son of a white father and colored mother, and that white father has been supposed to have been his owner. But in the history of his own life and times, published a few years ago, Douglass positively affirms that both his parents were colored, and for my own part I believe that to be the truth. As men like Fred. Douglass are very few and far between, the wish among many of the anti-slavery school, at least, seems to have been father to the thought that so clever a man could never have been the offspring of colored parents, but that his father, at least, must have been white. Not so, by any means! Fred. himself makes it quite plain that his father and mother were both colored, and he tells us all about it in his usual modest way.

Fred. Douglass was born in the region called Tuckahoe Neck, in Talbot county, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, in the year 1817. There is something unusually sad and plaintive about the way in which the poor child was separated from his own father and mother, and how he came up on the rough side of the mountain of slavery. The poor lad was subjected not only to the purest barbarities, but had to undergo treatment that may be called sheer cowardice on the part of his tormentors. Well might the Prophet exclaim, "How long, O Lord, how long?" Whilst he was a boy, growing up at Baltimore, his mistress kindly taught him his letters, and went some way in giving him further instructions, till at last his master advised her to stop teaching him, as such things and slavery did not work well together. No, indeed! They did not work well together, especially in the heart and soul of a boy like Fred., who already began to look into the workings of the curse of slavery. To stop Fred. from learning was now impossible. One might as well dam up a mountain rill with one's hands—it would simply flow over the top of them, or round about them. Nature will have her way, and the great Creator had implanted the germ of liberty in the boy's heart, whose growth was not to be kept down. After many ups and downs on the Eastern and Western Shores of Maryland, when our hero had arrived at about the age of twenty-one, in the year 1838, he resolved to make a bold stroke for liberty; and accordingly, being dressed up like a sailor, he took the train at Baltimore for Philadelphia, luckily escaping detection, and having successfully run the gauntlet by the way, he landed upon the platform of the Quaker City all right. But he did not consider himself safe even here; so he left Philadelphia, still dressed in his sailor's suit, and came on to the city of New York.

"Arise! Shine forth; for thy light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee!" Thus said the Prophet, and Fred. Douglass, in his last book—the history of his life and times—almost sets up a perfect yell of delight at having escaped from the horrors of slavery and being a free man. The few days he spent in New York City among the friends of the free must have been a perfect spring-time of life to him—free, free, free, as the wild waves of the deep! Free to go where he pleased, and to read and study what he liked. Our glorious youthful Fred.—this splendid, well-built, stout-bodied young man of twenty-one, did a very sensible thing whilst in New York. He had a lady-love at Baltimore, a free young woman of color named Anna: but before he moved a step further he sent for her to come on to New York City. So to New York she came, and here the interesting young couple were married. This, indeed, was a very lively stroke of business on the part of Frederick, but he was now at the golden age of twenty-one; it was best for him to marry now, because it would give him something to live and toil for, and also "give ballast to his ship of life." The Great Creator and his daughter "Nature" made no mistakes. My own marriage with my own beloved Tom has been no failure. We have never repented of it, either of us. We could have done no better. And so it was with Fred. Douglass and his beloved Anna, from Baltimore. There never was a more manly bridegroom than he. Above all things he was a Christian and a gentleman, in the very essence of his nature; a man of lofty honor and principle, and with such a man as that a young woman is forever in safety.

All this time, 1838, the Abolitionists were under full swing, led on by William Lloyd Garrison, of Massachusetts, and backed up by all those who beheld the dawn of freedom on the Eastern horizon. Garrison's paper, "The Liberator," sent forth its blasts all over the Northern States; but the North at that time abode in thick darkness as to the rights of colored men to freedom on the self-same footing with themselves. And not only did thick darkness cover the land, but entire legions and hosts of the people were almost as much prejudiced upon the slave question as the slave-holders of the South. They had no more idea of the grand, self-elevating capabilities of the colored race than the child that was unborn; and the ignorant masses of white people were certainly unwilling to give them a chance. And our poor, dear Fred., now a married man, had just to stand his chances, and run his risks with the rest, while the untutored North was in such a crude and chaotic state. Therefore, on account of the presence of so much ignorance and prejudice against men of color in New York City, the friends of freedom considered it unsafe for Frederick Douglass to remain there any longer, and advised him to move on to New Bedford, in Massachusetts, where he would at least be out of danger. We can never forget the honored name of Mr. David Ruggles, a colored gentleman of New York City, in connection with these events. It was he who mainly took charge of our hero and his wife in New York City, and sent them on to New Bedford. And when they arrived in New Bedford, they were met by one Mr. Nathan Johnson, a very intelligent and industrious colored man, a warm friend of theirs, who advanced them a sum of money to redeem their baggage, which was held for fare. He advised Fred. to drop the name of Fred. Lloyd, and to call himself "Fred. Douglass," as he (Nathan Johnson) had lately been reading of Douglass, in Sir Walter Scott's novels, relating to Scotland and the Scotch.

Being now in possession of his freedom, having a sweet young wife and a home of his own, he had something to live for! Douglass had learned the trade of the ship-builder, at Baltimore, but was unable to work at that trade at New Bedford, on account of the prejudices of the white workmen there against color, for had he taken his tools in among them and gone to work, they would all at once have stopped work and left the yard. Such was the character of even Northern men in the year 1838, but Douglass was not the man to flinch. He was strong, hardy and handy at almost everything. If he could not do one thing he could do another; and therefore he picked up a living at anything that presented itself to him.

The whole colored race are preeminently inquiring, and possess a thirst and love for knowledge in the very highest degree. Fred. Douglass was a splendid specimen of this noble trait of character. Being now his own master, he literally devoured knowledge, and his splendid intellect expanded, flourished and grew on apace like the growth of vegetation in the tropics. He was no longer watched, or almost murdered, if he was found with a book in his hand! He was no longer the so-called "property" of a fellow calling himself his "owner," who robbed him of his week's wages, and then pretended to make him a present of a quarter of his own money to treat himself with! Oh, dear me, no! No more of that for him! When this brave young man, this hero of twenty-one had done his day's work, he came home to his beloved Anna at his cosy home in New Bedford, and after he had his supper, the way was clear for a grand time reading "The Liberator," which William Lloyd Garrison sent out every week, and that fired the warm, receptive mind and heart of young Fred., so that his fame as a brilliant conversationalist and a well-read man, spread rapidly throughout the town. He had been often listened to as an exhorter and unusually fervid speaker at the colored Methodist Church in the town, and all men with sharp eyes perceived that another star had risen in the intellectual heavens, and that some circumstance or other would bring him to the front some day. And it came to pass as they had prophesied!

In New Bedford Mr. Douglass had attended several meetings in defence of the poor, oppressed slave; and there he had heard the most unmitigated denunciation of the whole infamous system of slavery. The eloquent, burning language of the speakers went home to his heart. In the summer of 1841, when Douglass was twenty-four years old, an anti-slavery convention was to be held at Nantucket, Massachusetts, a place not far from New Bedford, and the convention would be under the management of the famous William Lloyd Garrison, whose weekly paper, "The Liberator," Douglass had been devouring week by week with such unwonted avidity. He determined to take a little respite from his hard work in the brass foundry, and attend this gathering of anti-slavery people. There was a great assemblage of people at Nantucket. The fires of enthusiasm on behalf of the oppressed slave burned hot and high. In the midst of the vast audience here assembled, there was one Mr. Wm. C. Coffin, who had heard the eloquent and burning words of Frederick Douglass as he harangued the little audiences of the colored Methodist Church in New Bedford. Mr. Coffin sought out our unknown hero, and gave him such a vigorous invitation to speak that his hesitancy, and bashfulness, and backwardness were all entirely overcome, and Fred. Douglass, nothing daunted, now mounted the platform, and made such an oration as filled every thinking man and woman with astonishment. His simple, burning tale of his own wrongs and experiences completely swept his audience away, and like the Queen of Sheba, there seemed to be no more spirit left in them. Fred. Douglass had come to stay!

The name and fame of Fred. Douglass arose like a brilliant and new star in the heavens. He began to travel and lecture in different parts of the New England States, and paid visits to other sections of the North. His noble presence and splendid eloquence drew the eyes and ears of the whole country. His great name crossed the Atlantic, and spread throughout the British Isles. His powerful pen, in the columns of "The Liberator," and elsewhere, added still further to his fame. Everybody who hated and detested slavery desired to see him and to hear him speak. He was a power in the anti-slavery party, and he himself laid the axe most willingly with all his might and main. The question arose, "If one colored man can do so much, what can the whole race do, if they were set at liberty?" On account of the rising excitement all over the land on the slavery question, in the year 1845, the friends of Mr. Douglass sent him to England. In crossing the North Atlantic the passengers called upon him to make a speech on the question of slavery, and he complied. There were several gentlemen on board who most violently objected to any such attacks on their holy (!) institution of slavery; but the captain was master of his own vessel, and put down that Southern mutiny with a strong hand. These pro-slavery gentlemen tried to justify their conduct afterwards in the London papers; but John Bull would not hear them, and it was simply a splendid advertisement for the fair name and fame of Mr. Douglass.

For two years he travelled the British Isles, speaking upon the subject of American slavery. He was received well everywhere, and the fine spreading plains of Old England, the beautiful valleys of Wales, the green fields of Ireland, and the bold mountains of Scotland, all rang with the illustrious name of Fred. Douglass.

Such a man as he was did not belong to the colored race alone, and to the United States; he belonged to the whole world, and to all races. Such men can never be appropriated by one people, but they are, indeed, the common property of all. Douglass returned home, and founded a paper called "The North Star." He moved to Rochester, N. Y., and there he and his family took up their abode. The glorious work for the destruction of slavery went on, grew and increased, and at last brought on the war of secession, and freedom likewise for the entire enslaved race. Mr. Douglass then removed to Washington, and was honored with high offices in the services of his native country. He had the misfortune of losing his darling Anna, though after five years he married again, and went on a wedding tour to Europe and the East, this being his third voyage across the ocean. He died at Washington in February, 1895, at the age of seventy-eight—no very great age, but then he had done the work of ten men, and that wears human life rapidly away.

Thousands of eminent men have arisen from the ranks of the colored race since 1865, and thousands are now upon their feet also. Their names have reached the ends of the earth. But Fred. Douglass was early in the field, and he was a very, very bright particular star. Like John Bunyan, George Washington, and some few others, he shines for all time, and for the entire human race. He did a mighty work for God and humanity. Of all those illustrious men who have been born of women, there has never arisen a greater man, in all the annals of time, than our congenial friend and brother, Fred. Douglass.

My dear reader, I have given but short sketches of two eminent colored men who elevated themselves head and shoulder above their fellows, for the purpose of showing what the race can do. And I could go on to any length in the same strain, and pick out and describe other eminent men whose fame has reached the ends of the earth, though not in the same degree, as Fred. Douglass. But I need not dwell further here in showing what we can do, especially now that we are set free. Though the whole world freely admits that we have done well, and very well, still, we are only now at the threshold of our advancement, for it is only thirty odd years since the close of the war. But in that short time we have beaten every other race in the way of progress, and the sun is only yet one hour above the horizon. By and by we shall have the full noon-day.

I have mentioned Fred. Douglass and Daniel E. Payne, and it is only just that a couple of other representative women should be singled out, to show what our women can do. We have had no bright, particular star among the gentler sex, like Fred. Douglass among men; but still the colored race, like other peoples, can certainly boast of a splendid galaxy of eminent and clever women, who only lacked better education and wider and greater opportunities to shine more than they did. The women have so far not had the same chances as the men, but they are getting them now, and they are coming to the front one by one—coming out, one here and another there, like the bright stars of the night. High-schools and colleges of all kinds are now thrown open for our daughters, and wherever there are genius and ability they will forge to the front, and make themselves known.

Contemporaneous with Bishop Daniel E. Payne and Fred. Douglass we mention the name of Mrs. Frances Ellen Harper, who was born in Baltimore, Md., in the year 1825. Her home for many years has been the Queen City of Philadelphia. Mrs. Harper is a noble woman among women, and impresses all comers with her unusual natural sweetness, and graceful, lady-like ways. There is a deal of magnetism about her that attracts all those who hear her sweet, well-trained voice, and that draws us towards her by the comeliness of her graceful presence. We have all heard of "a bundle of love," but Mrs. Frances Harper is a bundle of natural and cultivated intellect, and of refined and polished manners. Her sweetness draws us to her, like the charming and fragrant rose in the flower garden. Born during the reign of slavery, when days were dark and friends were few, she did not have a right and proper opportunity of getting an early education, as the young ladies are getting to-day. But all the same, the great Creator gave her talents, and she has had a thirst for knowledge and a mind to work. This, indeed, is half the battle, and sometimes much more than half. Mrs. Harper applied herself most vigorously to study as she was growing up in her teens, and by the time she had come to woman's estate she was well educated. (Thus we see that nobody need despair of becoming well educated, for we can all learn if we only have pluck and ambition, and patience and perseverance with them to forge to the front, like the lady in question). This eminent woman soon became widely known for her brilliant talents, and all her sweet, lady-like graces, and admonished all Abolitionists and anti-slavery people what our race could do if they were once freed from their shackles!

Mrs. Harper possessed a great natural fondness for poetry, which she proceeded early to cultivate, so that she had become well-known for her sweet effusions in that line, and they have been published far and wide throughout the world, and prove that we have "birds of song" among us as well as others. She has written some pieces possessing much merit. She has a great natural facility for writing, and reminds me of a clause in Deborah's song of triumph in the fifth chapter of the Book of Judges, "Out of Zabulun came down those who handle the pen of the writer." For a facile, easy pen, Mrs. Frances Ellen Harper is a perfect Zabulunite, for she has shown that she also can handle the pen of the writer.

This gifted lady has also been a bright and shining light on the lecture platform, and, indeed, has appeared on many of the leading platforms of the nation, and crowned herself with honor and glory. She has proved to the whole world that a woman can do mighty deeds as well as man. There was a dark and doleful time in this world's history when a woman was regarded as little more than a mere serf, for man's will and pleasure everywhere. But those dark ages have passed away, and women have advanced to the front line, and taken their rightful places in the world. Mrs. Harper is a living proof of this nobility among women, and she has done yeoman service in trying to elevate her sisters of the colored race. Her splendid services will never be forgotten by either this generation or the generations to come. "Well done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!"

Louise de Mortie, of Norfolk, Va., was born of free parents in that place in the year 1833. As she was not allowed to receive an education at the home of her youth, she decided to go to Boston, where she could get one. It was in the year 1853 that she took up her residence in that city, when she was twenty years of age, with life and all its opportunities before her in a free State. At once she took a vigorous hold, and availed herself of all favoring opportunities that presented themselves. She was a young maiden of great personal beauty, and possessed a sweet disposition and a most remarkably good memory. She took very high standing as a pupil in the schools and seminaries of Boston, and made a whole host of friends, won over by her graces and accomplishments.

In 1862 she came out as a public reader, and shone like a very brilliant star. She showed that she was a perfect elocutionist by birth, and had been polished like a rich jewel. Her natural beauty and personal graces, engaging manners and richly-toned voice, drew the eyes of the whole country. Just as she had come to be well-known, she heard of the great destitution among the colored orphans at New Orleans at the close of the war. Hither she hastened, and in 1867 raised funds to build an asylum for the colored people of that city. This she did in her spirit of Christian love, and she won the hearts of all those who beheld her, like another angel of mercy, at her good works. But the yellow fever struck her down on the 10th of October of the above year, 1867, when she said so touchingly, "I belong to God, our Father," and then expired. Thus was this brave young woman cut off in her thirty-fourth year. But she lived long enough to show to others a brilliant example that will never be forgotten.