Ethiop (William J. Wilson) to Frederick Douglass, April 16, 1852
From Our Brooklyn Correspondent.
Dear Douglass:—Francis Barry raises the cry of THIEF at the heels of all the colored people who would follow Ethiop's or Observer's advice relative to the acquisition of wealth, or all whose preliminary condition is above the common level of the blacks; and E. P. Benham that of unmanliness, meanness, and I know not what other epithets. Now these, I take it, are both white men, who are in some way interested in the welfare of Africo-Americans; yet, like most others from the Anglo side, they wholly mistake, they altogether misunderstand our peculiar condition and the remedies therefor. They, doubtless, desire for [our elevation]; yet I fear we differ much as to the nature of that elevation. And what is that [difference]? Let us, by taking a cursory glance at their positions and instituting a brief comparison of views, endeavor to show that difference. My views of the matter have been fairly exhibited; theirs shall be by a simple reduction of them to practice—by a practical application of them. Let me commence, then, by inverting their order; Francis Barry first. He
raise the mob cry of thief! thief!! stop thief!!! Now, suppose there are in New York City and vicinity, fifty intelligent, enterprising business colored men, who have business, such as the Bible commends and bids men be dilligent therein. Now, as these men, obeying the divine injunction being not slothful but diligent in their business, go about our streets and wharfs, will Francis Barry dare to step out and raise the cry of thief! stop thief! and beckon the idle MOB to make chase at their heels? Dare he do this? Dare he? He has already done it. Imagine, then, reader, Francis Barry and a horde of idlers in the back ground, (for this is what he would have,) raising the cry of thief, robber, &c., in the faces of these as they severally appear in the streets, and what a spectacle is presented to you. Or, that whenever a black man opens a work-shop or store, and no sooner than he, with perseverance and ability, thrives therein, imagine that you behold Francis Barry and his trained band of idlers, branding him with the marks of thief and robber, and Mr. E. P. Benham with that of mean, unmannerly wretch, &c.—The mind revolts at the thought of inculcating such doctrines into colored people at this day. Suppose any colored man, anxious his son should make better headway in the world than he has, apprentice him to a good trade, will Mr. Barry tell that father that he is going to make his son a thief and a robber by so doing? and will Mr. E. P. Benham tell him that to give that son an independent trade would raise him above the condition assigned to his class, and hence wrong?—Will they? They have already told him so. But suppose their injunctions are disobeyed, and the apprenticed BLACK boy becomes a mechanic, and thrives, and needs other lads, what then? Why with all possible promptitude interposes Messrs. Barry, Benham and co-adjutors, with the old cry. More young blacks to be trained up to thievery, robbery, hardness of heart, disrespect for the masses,
&c. The kiss of contempt from every black man should follow (if not these men) their doctrines, such as these. But this rising young black mechanic, with shrewdness, calculation and judgment, develops the resources around him or that falls in his way, and moulds them into tangible possessions, comfortable homes, handy work-shops, spacious stores. Pile after pile move up before his energies, while his boys look on, admire and imitate. But just as the last sound of the hammer has died away, up comes Harry, Benham and followers, with the old cry of thief, robber, wretch, &c., and believing them to be sincere, he certainly is, if their doctrines be true, he having made such acquisition, and afforded so many homes and shops, &c., and given so much employment, and made so many more young mechanics to enter upon the same plundering career. Nor is this all. Since habits of diligence, as enjoined by holy writ, have extended to his household, he has reared a family, and educated his children properly and with care. With this, Mr. Francis Barry falls out; and I know not by what means he arrives at the precious information; but he tells us that his children are "robbed of mental culture." For one, I am a little curious to know the kind of mental culture he would have, or whether he means to be understood that that which is steeped in ignorance and poverty, and springs up through filth, rags and indolence is about the thing for colored folks. - If he does, let me tell him he is most egregiously mistaken, as they are not in want of such a commodity just now. [But] Messrs. Barry, Benham & Co.'s list of thieves, robbers and rascals are increasing. The young mechanic's boys are men, each working on his own [hook]. Others have clustered round, and quite a combination of enterprising blacks are beginning to appear. They
begin to take their places in every pursuit about town and country; and as their thoughts and sympathies partake of their varied and independent occupations, they naturally form an active and efficient business class. I call it an ARISTOCRACY; and as such they well know that its maturity and enlargements are its strength and purity, and hence spare no pains for the accomplishment thereof. Queries. How many Horace Prestons would be seized, gagged, manacled and dragged from wife, children, freedom and all else that is dear, through New York City, into that most accursed of all conditions this side of pandemonium—Southern slavery—in the presence of such a class? Or, what would this city or this country be in the absence of such white classes? Blot them out, and where will this nation be? These some of my neighbors, among other things, may answer if they think proper. Let us now suppose that these men betake to the various pursuits of shop, store, and farm, &c.; and let us suppose fifty of them scatter about Communipaw Flats, Harsimus, Hell Gate and Long Island, and become thriving farmers, &c., hard-fisted yeomen, with their dozen robust, hard-handed sons each, and girls to match. Would to God there were within a less space ten thousand such! But let us suppose we have only fifty, with plenty at home and some to spare abroad; and suppose they gather up their surplus produce and come to town to dispose of it to those who need. But just as they touch the wharf, down runs Francis Barry and his horde, with the old cry, Be off with ye, ye thieves and robbers! You have come here with your surplus earnings, which you had no right to produce; for this is his precise language. What a picture is here presented for the most serious contemplation of
black men. The truth is, it has never occured to white men, other than that a certain condition was the natural one of blacks. To rise above it, seems to them unnatural and out of place. The best of them feel this; and hence it is reserved for us to make out our own way. The whites from their position look down upon our bad condition, as one natural to us; and, with breasts full of sympathy, they descend and come among us to perform, they say, a labor of love. They enter our churches, arrange our Sabbath schools, preach our sermons, make our prayers, and advise our conduct. They employ us menially, and patronizingly throw us their cast-off clothes, and even pat us on the head to encourage us to be good, honest, harmless creatures, to all which we have most faithfully submitted; and now, because I would dispel this most shameful delusion, now that I would say to black men, you have no place unlike that of white men—rise from the stooping posture in which they have placed you and stand erect, up jumps Messrs. Barry and Benham with the cry of thievish, unprincipled, ungrateful, unsympathizing wretches. But I do, and will say, in defiance of this hallo-boo they have set up, let each colored man who has resolved to rise from out of the masses do so, without feeling it his duty to carry at the same time all the rest upon his back, as Mr. E. P. Benham would have him, since it is not in the true order of
things, and since white men do not do so.—No! no! gentlemen, you must in this matter toe the mark; not by lecturing to colored people to merely be good and honest, and not to think too highly of themselves, and hence get out of their place; not by pouring out volumes of sympathy over their low condition, and at the same time telling them that it is the best one for them, unless by some " hocus pocus" they all can be raised at once; but tell them they are men with alike aspirations. And since you expend thousands yearly among yourselves merely to exhibit your sympathies for us, and not one dollar to make a practical example of the capacity of a single colored man, and since you will not even admit him, nor his son, nor his son's son to your counting-room, nor your work-bench, nor to any other respectable station in your gift, a whit sooner than his avowed enemies, I think it illy becomes you when we talk of looking to the matter ourselves, to brow-beat and denounce us as attempting to make thieves, robbers, scoundrels, and I know not what all, adding another dreg to our already overflowing cup of insult.
Yours truly,
Ethiop.
Brooklyn Heights, April 16. [1852]