University of Virginia Library

16. XVI.

TIMES changes, and men change jist ez fast ez
times. I should like to see the times wich
kin change faster than I kin; but this last shift I
hev bin forced to make, ruther took my breth. It
wuz sudden. The Connecticut eleckshun didn't do
us much good after all. We felt well over it for
perhaps a day; but ez we begun to git other indicashens
from the North, we didn't jist see how that
little spirt wuz agoin to help us. Cincinnati went
Ablishin stronger than ever. Chicago ditto; and
most everywhere the Dimocratic rooster wuz flattened.
The cabinet, when they heerd uv Deekin
Pogram's assault upon the nigger, on the receet uv
the intelligence uv the election news, notified me

officially that a repetishen uv sich loonacy wood be
equivalent to a reseet uv my resignation, even tho
the post offis shood be discontinyood. “The nigger
vote must be capchered. It's essenshel. Wade
Hampton sez so,” wrote Randall to me, and I reprimanded
the Deekin for his recklessniss, and borrowed
four dollars uv Bascom, who is the only man
in the vicinity who hez any ready money, to make
it all right with him.

We held a meetin uv the Drecktors and Faculty
uv the Southern Military and Classicle Institoot last
evening, to decide wat course that instooshn wuz to
take in the grate work uv surroundin the Ethiopian
and attachin uv him to us. In sich a time ez this,
ez I menshend to Captain McPelter, it won't do for
our institooshuns uv learning to stand back. These
great levers, the molders uv public opinion, must
be ez progressive ez the progressiveist, and must
change like other things to meet the requirements
uv the times. We hev commenst our march into
Africa, and thus far hev we gone into the bowels
uv the land without impediment, to speak uv — let
us persevere. Let us capcher the Ethiopian, stink
and all.

The meetin wuz held in the back room uv Bascom's,
owing to the fact that it wuz rainin, and the

roof uv the Post Offis leaks. I hed an appropriashn
some time since from the Department for repairs;
but bein in doubt whether it wuz intended for repairs
on the Post Offis or the Postmaster, I gave
the prizner the benefit uv the doubt, and got a new
pair uv boots. I cood better endoor the slite inconvenience
uv occasional rain than to go barefoot.

I made a statement uv the case, and sejisted a
radical change in the Institoot. Captain McPelter
agreed with me. He felt that ther hedn't bin that
complete, hearty recognition uv our Afrikan brethren
as there ought to be. He had on several occasions
allowed his nateral vivacity to git the better
of his proodence, and hed waded into em alarmin.
The old ijee of Ham and Hagar and Onesimus hed
bin so drilled into him in his yooth, that he hed to
wrestle with it to keep it in control, and in spite uv
himself it often got the better uv him. He sejisted
that the name uv the Institoot be changed from
“The Southern Military and Classikle Institoot,”
to “The Ham and Japheth Free Academy for the
Development uv the Intellek uv all Races, irrespectiv
uv Color.”

That he thought would anser the required end.
The colored men who choose to avail theirselves of
the priviligis afforded by this institooshn, when it is

finished, kin find in this no cause uv complaint.
They are recognized. They are given the precedence.
They stand first in the matter and foremost.
Wat more kin they ask?

Bascom hed a series uv resolooshuns wich he
desired to present. He sed it mite be looked upon
ez strange that he shood favor the concentrashun
uv free niggers at the Corners, but he hed good and
suffishent reasons. First, he hed faith that constant
contact with the Board wood bring em to the pint
uv patronizin his bar; but ef it didn't, he knowd
perfectly well that the Board and Fakulty wood
manage to git all they hed, for board and tooition,
wich he was perfectly certin he'd git in the end.
Wat he wanted wuz people here: to yoose an
illustration borrered from his biznis, the offishels uv
this Institoot wuz the funnel through wich the
wealth uv all uv em wood be conducted to his coffers.
I fell onto his neck in rapcher, and then
vowed that I wuz willin to die for his good — that
I cared not how much uv other people's money run
through me to him ef 'twas thus dilooted. The
resolooshens presented read ez follows: —

Deekin Pogram didn't know about all this. He
hed bin edikated in Ham and Hager, and wuz a
bleever in Onesimus. He doubted. Sposen after
all this concession the nigger shood play off onto
us? Sposen he shoodent vote with us after all, but
cling to his Northern friends? Or spose he shood
vote with us, and we shood, thro his vote, git control,
wat then? How cood we redoose em to ther
normal condition agin after all this palavrin?

Bascom replied that he wuz surprised at the Deekin's
obtoosnis. First, ef they did vote with the
Ablishnists, we wuz no worse off, ez that wuz wat
they proposed to do any how. Ef, on the other
hand, they didn't, what then? The trouble with
em now is, they know too much. “Let em,” sed
Bascom, warmin up, “let em associate with us a
year, let em vote with us, et cettry, and in twelve
months they're precisely fitted agin to be servance

unto their brethren. Look,” sed he, “at the Northern
Dimocrasy, and see to what we may hope to
bring these men in time.”

But little more bizness wuz transacted. Beverly
Nash, of South Caroliny, was unanimously called
to a Professorship; and a young gentleman uv
color, who, from his strong resemblance to Elder
Gavitt, ought to hev biznis capacity, wuz unanimously
elected a member of the Board. The yoonyun
is perfect. Ham and Japheth hev shaken hands,
and are embracin each other.

May prosperity attend the nupchels, and may the
isshoo be fortunate. I hev got over the disgust
attendant upon the fust chill, and am consekently
feelin well.