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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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Support the Monkey! Tell All your Friends and Teachers |
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As many of these as I could, I converted into teach- ers. With their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, I finally succeeded in learn- ing to read. When I was sent of errands, I always took my book with me, and by going one part of my errand quickly, I found time to get a lesson be- fore my return. I used also to carry bread with me, enough of which was always in the house, and to which I was always welcome; for I was much better off in this regard than many of the poor white chil- dren in our neighborhood. This bread I used to be- stow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowl- edge. I am strongly tempted to give the names of two or three of those little boys, as a testimonial of the gratitude and affection I bear them; but pru- dence forbids;--not that it would injure me, but it might embarrass them; for it is almost an unpar- donable offence to teach slaves to read in this Chris- tian country. It is enough to say of the dear little fellows, that they lived on Philpot Street, very near Durgin and Bailey's ship-yard. I used to talk this matter of slavery over with them. I would sometimes say to them, I wished I could be as free as they would be when they got to be men. "You will be free as soon as you are twenty-one, ~but I am a slave for life!~ Have not I as good a right to be free as you have?" These words used to trouble them; they would express for me the liveliest sympathy, and con- sole me with the hope that something would occur by which I might be free. I was now about twelve years old, and the thought of being ~a slave for life~ began to bear heavily upon my heart. Just about this time, I got hold of a book entitled "The Columbian Orator." Every opportu- nity I got, I used to read this book. Among much of other interesting matter, I found in it a dialogue be- tween a master and his slave. The slave was repre- sented as having run away from his master three times. The dialogue represented the conversation which took place between them, when the slave was retaken the third time. In this dialogue, the whole argument in behalf of slavery was brought forward by the master, all of which was disposed of by the |
