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Show \ 8G ADDITIONAL NOTE. try, to drain them off. Various schemes o~ coloni:zation had been thought of, and a part ?four ow_n contment,. tt was supposed by some, might furmsh a SUitable estabhsh.ment for them. But for his part, ~lr. C. said, he had a dectded preference for some part of the coast of Africa. 'rhere ample provision might be made for th~ colony. itself, and it might be rendered instrumental to the mtroductJOn, mto that extensive quarter of the globe, at: the arts, civilizatio? and ch~istianity. There was a pecultar, a mor~l ~tness m reston?g them to the land of their fathers. And tf, mstcad of the evtls and sufferings which WI! had be~n the innocent cau.se of inflicting upon the inhabitants of _A_f:Ica~ we can transm1~ t_o her the blessing of our arts, our civthzatwn, ami our reltgton, may we not hope that America will extinguish a great portion of that moral debt which she has contracted to that unfortunate continent? Can there be a nobler cause than that which, whilst it proposes, &c. contemplates the. spreadinp of the arts of civilized lift', and the possible redempt10n from Ignorance and barbarism of a benighted quarter of the globe? u lt was proper and necessary distinct_ly to stat~, that ~e un .. derstood it constituted no part of the obJect of th1s meetmg to touch or agitate in the slightt:st tlegrt:e, a delicat ~ qut;stion con .. nccted with another portion of the c~loured populatwn of. our country. It was not prop( sed to deliberate upon, or cons1der at all, any question of emancipation, or that was conne.c~ed with the abolition of slavery. It was upon that conditiOn alone, he was sure, that many gentlemen from the south and the west whom he saw present, had attended, or could. be expecteu' to co-operate. It was upon that condition, only, that he had himself attended." Extrarts from the speech of Elias B. Caldwcl1, Esq. of the District of Columbia. "1'he more you improve the condition of these people, the more yo\.1 cultivate their minds, the more miserable you make them in their present state. You give them a higher relish fol' those privileges which they can never attain, and tum what we intend for a blessing into a curse. No, if they must re~ main in their present situation, keep them in the lowest state of degradation and ignorance. 'fhe nearer you bring them to the condition of brutes, the better chance do you give them of possessing their apathy. Surely, Americans ought to be the last people on earth, to advocate such slavish doctrines, to .c~y peace and conter.·~ment to those who are deprived of the pnvt~ leges of civil liberty. They who have so largely partaken of its blessings-who know so well how to estimate its value, ought to be among the fonmost to extend it to oth"!rs.', A'llDITIONAL NOTii. 87 These sentiments, it will be readily perceived, clash diame. vically with those which~ had previouslr ad.vanced in page_ 21, on the subject of extendmg mental culttvat1on to the Afncan race in this country. And notwithstanding I have no incli!lation to retract the sentiments which I have heretofore had occasion to express, concerning the practical benevolence and ardent zeal of ~fr. Caldwell in the cause of religion and hu .. man happiness; yet, it is out of my power to unite with him in his opinion, of the utility of subjecting men of any colour, or any situation whatever, to '' the lowest &tate of degradation and ignorance," and, as near as possible, " ttJ the condition of brutes." Right education and knowledge, should teach the legitimate slave fortitude, and the advantages of submission, duty, and fidelity; and should elevate the free man of what .. ever colour, above the unhallowed crime of despising himself for its having been ordained this or that tint, or for its being obnoxious to those who have been created with a different co .. lour, or with none at all. Ask Capt. Paul CUffee, Prine<! Saunders, and many other well educated and worthy persons o£ African extraction, whether they hate themselves, or whether any body else possessing common sense, hates them, because they cannot repeal the laws of nature; or because tJ'lere is a political and physical propriety in their being considered as foreigners and aliens in our country. Mr. Caldwell, having considered the various positions in which it had been respectively proposed to establish the colo .. ny, and expressing his preference of Africa, enlarged upon the greater i-mportance of selecting that quarter of the globe, H in the belief and hope of th"ereby introducing civilization and the christian religion, &:c., cm·respondent to t.'"te sentiments of I\lr. Clay. "The great movements (said he) and mighty efforts in the moral and religious world, seem to indicate some great design of Providence on the eve of accomplishment. The unexampled and astonishing success attending the varioug. and numerous plans which havt: been devised and which are now in operation in different parts of the world, ancl tht: union and harmony with which christians of different denominations \.lnite in promoting these plans, clearly indicate a Divine Hand in their direction, Nay, 1:1ir. the subject on which we are now deliberating has been brought to public view, nijarly about the same time in different parts of our country. In new Jersey, New York, Indiana, 'fennessee, Virginia, and perhnps other places not known to me, the pub.lic attention seems to have been awakened, as from sl!Jmber, to this subject." l-lr. Caldwell rt:marked, that" it is a great n:~tional object, and ought to supported. by the public purse. And that, as |
