“And the spellin’ book is extremely desirable and good, and highly worthy, and to be praised. But then there are things too strong for education to overcome. For instance, to draw up the simely that I have drawed before—it hain’t poetick, but one which is familiar to men or wimmen: Education can’t put a number seven foot into a number three shoe.
“No, it can’t be did, and education may orate to them big toes in Greek or Latin, and it may read essays to ’em in words of seven or eight syllables, and quote all the poets to ’em, livin’ or dead, but it hain’t a goin’ to quell ’em down, and make ’em any smaller. It hain’t a goin’ to get ’em into that shoe.
“And when folks talk too much about the sudden miracles that education and Christian teachin’ is going to do to the black race, and seem to expect ’em to become perfect all to once, I want to ask ’em why it hain’t made our own race perfect?
“The white race has had the benefit of Christianity and Education for hundreds of years, and all the means of culture, and it hain’t hendered ’em from bein’ as mean as the Old Harry to the black man, and they despise and wrong the negro jest as much to-day as if St. Paul had never preached or Jesus had not died for the world.”
(I meant some on ’em—I didn’t mean all; but I wuz kinder carried away by my own eloquence.)
“Now,” sez I, “it is a settled thing, and can’t be got round, this inherient, instinctive difference between the black and white races—if they would, they never can amalgamate and be a united people.
“I have said it and repeated it time and agin, and it is true every time, and will keep on bein’ true ‘after my poor, feeble, falterin’ tongue lies silent in the grave.’”
I sez this in a kinder him axent, very strikin’ and touchin’, but Col. Seybert wuzn’t touched nor struck by it, as I could see; but I kep’ on all the same.
“As I have said, time and agin, this law has stood ever sence creation; and so what is the use of thinkin’ it can be broke up by writin’ on a little slip of paper at Washington, D. C.?
“Good land! angels and principalities, and powers, and things present and things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creeter has never made any difference in that law, nor never will.