Ethiop (William J. Wilson) to Frederick Douglass, February 26, 1852
FROM OUR BROOKLYN CORRESPONDENT.
My Dear Douglass: — Feeling in rather a genial, or as the boy said in the potential mood, one fine afternoon last week, I brushed up my hair, put on my best collar, and made myself look as smart as possible, for one of my cut: and pulling on my gloves, sallied forth from my lodgings, jumped upon the boat, and passed over into Gotham, and took a stroll about that mysterious city—I say mysterious, because half of its doings have never yet been revealed. The dark veil of mystery hangs o'er more than half its darker deeds.—It is a Sahara, with but here and there a fertile spot; a cavern, in which are hung up a few lighted but dimly burning lanterns.—Thus thinking, and sauntering up Fulton St., gazing at the wondrous sights in the shop-windows, and out of them, I was suddenly brought to a dead halt—Broadway was before me. It has been, my dear Douglass, I believe, your good fortune to cross and recross the Atlantic, amidst peril and danger: and yet I doubt, if at any time, you were surrounded by half as much of either as I was in my attempts to gain what is called the "FASHIONABLE SIDE" of this great thoroughfare of all Gotham. On either side of this noisy, rattling, clattering, bustling ocean, (for I can call it by no better name, were congregated persons of all sexes, sizes, and conditions, anxious to cross, or making attempts to do so. Now launching off in the turbulent whirlpool, now twirling about, now beating a retreat, now under full sail before the hurricane, now landing in safety, or sticking fast in the mud. Finally, I plunged off; and after being tossed, and pitched, and thumped, and bumped about for a time, in this perilous sea, landed on the fashionable side; and throwing
myself in a more congenial current, suffered myself to be borne, almost imperceptibly, up the great thoroughfare.
If, my dear sir, Gotham was one vast show, you, the looker on, you would readily perceive that the whites exhibited the two features, wealth and poverty; while the blacks exhibited an intermediate one. You would see, as I saw in this human tide, wealth, fat, proud, pompous, arrogant, overbearing, rioting in purple and fine linen, regardless of the wants around it, and as deaf to the cries of misery, as the idle flies of a midsummer's day. You would see, as I saw, shrunken-framed, thin-visaged, sunken-eyed, tattered poverty, with tottering step, reeling in uncertainty, and shaking its bony fingers, and cowering before this pomp of wealth and pride. But in all, the same white, ghost-like, motionless face, the same hawk-like nose, and thin, livid lip, and restless, wolf-like countenance, indicative of keen scent after what is another's, presents itself to you at every step. Cold, stem, rigid, without a redeeming feature.—The propensity for grasping and appropriating, are as indelibly stamped in very face, as the mark of Cain; and though players, all, 'tis all the same, whether priest, prince, or beggar. These are the extremes.
But look, the scene is changed!!! We have now a medium. Life, vivacity, merriment, mark the faces that now present themselves. There is a seeming indifference to all around. No straining after effect, no bringing things from afar. Content is as much the predominant feature now, as discontent was in the former view. Cares, such as engross men's attention, often to distraction, have never yet troubled their heads to any considerable extent, if I may judge from the light step and free and easy gait. They play an easy part. They hold up, as it were, the veil of the
plot, and perform certain other
easy services. They have passion for comedy, not tragedy, though will not play even in the afterpiece. But if nothing else, the six groups of almost less than humanwhite beggars, ranging from five to eight in a group on a single block of this fashionable promenade, are sufficient to induce me from my reverie. If anything else was wanted, the half dozen gaily-dressed young colored men leisurely sauntering up before me, would supply the deficiency. They turn down Leonard Street, to Church Street, alias [black] Broadway. St. Charles, St. Dennis, and Eldorado are here. Talk not of your Astor, and your Irving House. In one respect, they are but the mere shadows; the substance is here. Pleasure here is neither mockery, nor is she mocked. Enter one of these resorts, and behold, for yourself, my dear sir. Rosewood and marble tables, spring sofas, and wilton covers, are scattered around in confused order; fashionable books, periodicals, and papers of the day,theatre bills and opera cards, are strewed about like autumn leaves. Easy chairs that yield to your touch, ere you are fairly seated in them; Billiard-tables, Pianos, Sporting-Rings, and Debating-Galleries; in fine, all the requisites for fancy gentlemen are here. Wealth may be found at your Astor, and your Irving, but easy negligence, careless abandonment and refined freedom may be studied here. Here you will find young men of every taste, and some of the finest-looking and finest-appearing in the country, in form, unsurpassed; in dress, without a rival. If you would know the height of fashion, you can as well learn it there, as in upper tendom. Patent leather boots and claret coats, tight pants and pointed collars, French wrappers, and Scotch shawls, diamond rings and studded breast-pins, gold watches and California chains, are all exhibited here, from finer forms, and with more taste, than above Bleecker Street. Bet-
ter Wines and Claret, better Champaign, and Havannasare to be had here too. No smuggling in of second quality; all are good judges. Most of the whites of your Astor, Irvine, Howard, and like resorts, are fresh from the country. Money they may have, but good judges of these luxuries, never.
Oh, sir, if the inclination of these young men could be changed, if the congregated motive power could be made available, what might not be done in a very short space of time, for the improvement of our people! - Here are all the requisites for a might people. Here are bone and muscle and intellect; and above all, life and vivacity; great power of endurance, notwithstanding this pernicious hot-house and pot-house culture.
I now wound my way up to St. Philip's Row. Notwithstanding all that may be said of Church Street, it is but the counterpart of St. Philip's Row. When compared with what may be seen here, Church Street is but the rough marble, the last strokes of the chisel are here. In the comparison, is but the mere Crayon sketch, of which the finer original is here. Here are the crowning touches of the pencil:
Here Dame Fashion is enthroned,
And with unbridled away she reigns
Though not in wealth, with grace,
And ease, and eloquence of mein.
What a pity it is that so much toil and substance is thus wasted, for what is, and ever must be, under the circumstances, the mere bauble of the day. "Thy people have money enough," said the old Quaker to Dr. Pennington, one evening, as they were riding in the cars together, " Thy people get money enough but they do not thrive." Think of that, Mr. editor, think of that, gentle reader, and see to it that you not only get, and have money like the whites, but thrive also.
Communipaw shall have due attention in due time.
Yours truly,
ETHIOP.