l dove-tailed, Socratic questions to Mr. Douglass,
with the following: 'If the legislature at Harrisburgh should awaken,
to-morrow morning, and find each man's skin turned black and his hair
woolly, what could they do to remove prejudice?' 'Immediately pass laws
entitling black men to all civil, political and social privileges,' was
the instant reply--and the questioning ceased."

The most remarkable mental phenomenon in Mr. Douglass, is his style in
writing and speaking. In March, 1855, he delivered an address in the
assembly chamber before the members of the legislature of the state of
New York. An eye witness [5] describes the crowded and most intelligent
audience, and their rapt attention to the speaker, as the grandest scene
he ever witnessed in the capitol. Among those whose eyes were riveted on
the speaker full two hours and a half, were Thurlow Weed and Lieutenant
Governor Raymond; the latter, at the conclusion of the address,
exclaimed to a friend, "I would give twenty thousand dollars,{18} if I
could deliver that address in that manner." Mr. Raymond is a first class
graduate of Dartmouth, a rising politician, ranking foremost in the
legislature; of course, his ideal of oratory must be of the most
polished and finished description.

The style of Mr. Douglass in writing, is to me an intellectual puzzle.
The strength, affluence and terseness may easily be accounted for,
because the style of a man is the man; but how are we to account
for that rare polish in his style of writing, which, most critically
examined, seems the result of careful early culture among the best
classics of our language; it equals if it does not surpass the style of
Hugh Miller, which was the wonder of the British literary public, until
he unraveled the mystery in the most interesting of autobiographies. But
Frederick Douglass was still calking the seams of Baltimore clippers,
and had only written a "pass," at the age when Miller's style was
already formed.

I asked William Whipper, of Pennsylvania, the gentleman alluded to
above, whether he thought Mr. Douglass's power inherited from the
Negroid, or from what is called the Caucasian side of his make up? After
some reflection, he frankly answered, "I must admit, although sorry to
do so, that the Caucasian predominates." At that time, I almost agreed
with him; but, facts narrated in the first part of this work, throw a
different light on this interesting question.

We are left in the dark