will take place in my day. I leave it, therefore, to time, and not
at all without hope that the day will come, equally desirable and
welcome to us as to them. Perhaps the proposition now on the
carpet at Washington to provide an establishment on the coast of
Africa for voluntary emigrations of people of color may be the
corner stone of this future edifice.--Ford edition of Jefferson's
Writings, X, p. 77.

[138] Ford edition of _Jefferson's Writings_, X, p. 344.

[139] _Ibid._, X, p. 385.

SOME UNDISTINGUISHED NEGROES

A LITTLE SLAVE BOY was intrusted with a card which he was to bear to a
person to whom it was directed and so charmed was he with the
beautiful inscription drawn upon it that he was seized with an
unconquerable desire to learn the mystery it contained. To this end he
persuaded a little boy of his master's to teach him the letters of the
alphabet. He was discovered in the act and whipped. His curiosity,
however, to learn the secret, which was locked up in those mysterious
characters, was only increased, and he was detected in another
attempt, and accordingly chastised. By this time he had so far
penetrated the secret that nothing could deter him from further
effort. A third time he was detected, and whipped almost to death.
Still he persevered; and then to keep the matter secret, if possible,
he crept into a hogshead, which lay in a rather retired place and
leaving just hole enough to let in a little light, he sat there on a
little straw, and thus prosecuted his object. He knew he must be
whipped for being absent; and he often had to lie to conceal the
cause; but such were the strivings of his noble nature, such his
irrepressible longings after the hidden treasures of knowledge, that
nothing could subdue them, and he accomplished his purpose.[140]

EDWARD MITCHELL, a colored man, was brought from the South by
President Brown of Dartmouth College. He soon indicated a desire for
mental culture on being brought within its influence at college. At
first there was some hesitation about admitting him as the children of
southerners sometimes attended Dartmouth and one of them had recently
instructed his son to withdraw should the institution admit a Negro to
his classes. Mitchell was prepared for entering the Freshman class,
was received as a regular student and was promoted through all other
classes to a full honorable graduation. He was uniformly treated with
respect by h