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VIEWS.
VIEWS.
EDITOR VIEWS—
The late decision of the supreme court, declaring the civil rights bill unconstitutional, was a great surprise to the colored people of this city. At first they were very indignant, but their leader has a cool head, and I think the result will be a political change. Hon. J. M. Langston, consul to Hayti, spoke on the subject last Friday. There was a large civil rights meeting at Lincoln Hall, over two hundred people listened to the address, and many times that number were turned away for lack of room. The meeting was addressed by Fred Douglass, Robert G. Ingersoll and Dr. Rankin. Douglass' speech was a very masterly effort. He made no direct accusation, but when he took his seat every one in the audience was convinced that the supreme court was actuated by the old slavery spirit in making the recent decision, and was using its official power to crush the negro. He said: "We have been grievously wounded in the house of our friends, and the wound is too fresh, too deep and too painful for the measured speech of ordinary occasions. We feel it, as we felt years ago, the furious attempt to force slavery on the free soil of Knnsas; the fugitive slave law; the Dred Scott decision. We feel as one who hears the tramping of heavy feet on the grave of his mother."
He was followed by Robert Ingersoll, who made a two hours' speech, which some say, who have heard him often, was the best he ever made. Some of his flights of eloquence were very beautiful. His audience was quite often very demonstrative, as is shown by the following little incident, in which Ingersoll appears in the new role
of a "sensational preacher:" As his eloquence began to mount above the earth and soar into the clouds, I noticed a colored woman began to get very restless. As the speaker grew more earnest and began to concentrate his powers, she could hardly contain herself. When the climax came, the good woman sprang to her feet, clapping her hands and shouting Glory! Glory! The incident was so ludicrous the entire audience burst into a roar of laughter, and it was some time before the colored brothers who sat next to her could get her into her seat and explain to her that Ingersoll was not preaching.
It will be some time before the excitement caused by that decision will cool off. I think the ultimate effect of it will be to divide the colored vote nearly equally between the two great parties.
Dr. Rankin's speech was calm and very sensible, as all that he says is. It is a wonderful influence that brings together an ex-slave, the most prominent doctor of divinity in the city and the most radical infidel in the country, on one platform, to plead one cause.
"WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT."
We would commend to a certain class of students the example of a few nameless ones who have (professedly) turned their backs upon the fascinating game of billiards, with self-imposed penalties almost as dire as any which are likely to be inflicted for arson, awaiting them in the event of their breaking a mutual pledge. There is no form of dissipation so destructive to habits of study, and so wasteful of time and energy. It is harder to be a moderate billiard player than a moderate drinker, and no man can be proficient in the game and in his studies.
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