henry ossian flipper- 第26部分

〃Any　one　conversant　with　educational　matters　who　has　examined　the　examinations　for　entrance；　or　the　curriculum　of　the　naval　and　military　academies；　will　not　for　a　moment　believe　that　their　requirements；　not　as　high　as　those　demanded　for　an　ordinary　New　England　high　school；　and　by　no　means　equal　in　thoroughness；　quantity；　or　quality　to　that　demanded　for　entrance　at　Yale；　Amherst；　Dartmouth；　or　Brown；　are　too　high　or　abstruse　to　be　compassed　by　negroes；　some　of　whom　have　successfully　stood　all　these；　and　are　now　pursuing　their　studies　in　the　best　institutions　of　the　North。

〃No　fair…minded　man　believes　that　Smith；　Napier　and　Williams；　Conyers　and　McClellan；　have　had　impartial　treatment。　The　government　itself　has　been　remiss　in　not　throwing　about　them　the　protection　of　its　authority。　Had　these　colored　boys　been　students　at　St。　Cyr；　in　Paris；　or　Woolwich；　in　England；　under　despotic　France　and　aristocratic　England；　they　would　have　been　treated　with　that　courtesy　and　justice　of　which　the　average　white　American　has　no　idea。　The　South　once　ruled　West　Point；　much　to　its　detriment　in　loyalty；　however　much；　by　reason　of　sending　boys　more　than　prepared。　It　dominated　in　scholarship。　It　seeks　to　recover　the　lost　ground；　and　rightly　fears　to　meet　on　terms　of　equality　in　the　camp　the　sons　of　fathers　to　whom　it　refused　quarter　in　the　war　and　butchered　in　cold　blood　at　Fort　Pillow。　We　cannot　expect　the　sons　to　forget　the　lessons　of　the　sires；　but　we　have　a　right　to　demand　from　the　general　government　the　rooting　out　of　all　snobbery　at　West　Point；　whether　it　is　of　that　kind　which　sends　poor　white　boys　to　Coventry；　because　they　haven't　a　family　name　or　wealth；　or　whether　it　be　that　smallest；　meanest；　and　shallowest　of　all　aristocraciesthe　one　founded　upon　color。

〃If　the　government　is　not　able　to　root　out　these　unrepublican　seeds　in　these　hot…beds　of　disloyalty　and　snobbery；　then　let　Congress　shut　up　the　useless　and　expensive　appendages　and　educate　its　officers　at　the　colleges　of　the　country；　where　they　may　learn　lessons　in　true　republican　equality　and　nationality。　The　remedy　lies　with　Congress。　A　remonstrance　at　least　should　be　heard　from　the　colored　members　of　Congress；　who　are　insulted　whenever　a　colored　boy　is　ill…treated　by　the　students　or　the　officers　of　these　institutions。　So　far　from　being　discouraged　by　defeats；　the　unjust　treatment　meted　out　to　these　young　men　should　redouble　the　efforts　of　others　of　their　class　to　carry　this　new　Bastile　by　storm。　It　should　lead　every　colored　Congressman　to　make　sure　that　he　either　sends　a　colored　applicant　or　a　white　one　who　has　not　the　seeds　of　snobbery　and　caste　in　his　soul。　Smith；　after　four　years　of　torture；　comes　home；　is　driven　home；　because；　forsooth；　he　might　attend　the　ball　next　year！　He　is　hounded　out　of　the　Academy　because　he　would　have　to　be　assigned　to　a　white　regiment！　There　are　some　negroes　who　feel　that　their　rights　in　the　land　of　their　birth　are　superior　to　the　prejudices　of　the　enemies　of　the　Union；　and　who　dare　to　speak　and　write　in　behalf　of　these　rights；　as　their　fathers　dared　to　fight　for　them　a　very　few　years　ago。

〃Bouchet；　under　civil　rule；　enters　Yale　College　the　best　prepared　student　of　one　hundred　and　thirty　freshmen；　and　all　through　his　course　is　treated　like　a　gentleman；　both　by　the　faculty　and　the　students；　men　who　know　what　justice　means；　and　have　some　adequate　idea　of　the　true　theory　of　education　and　gentlemanly　conduct。　Two　freed　boys；　from　North　Carolina　and　South　Carolina；　slaves　during　the　war；　prepare　at　the　best　Northern　academics；　and　enter；　without　remonstrance；　Amherst　and　Dartmouth。　What　divinity；　then；　hedges　West　Point　and　Annapolis？　What　but　the　old　rebel　spirit；　which　seeks　again　to　control　them　for　use　in　future　rebellions　as　it　did　in　the　past。　The　war　developed　some　unwelcome　truths　with　regard　to　this　snobbish　and　disloyal　spirit　of　our　national　institutions；　and　the　exploits　of　some　volunteer　officers　showed　that　all　manhood；　bravery；　skill；　and　energy　were　not　contained　in　West　Point　or　Annapolis；　or；　if　there；　did　not　pertain　solely　to　the　petty　cliques　that　aim　to　give　tone　to　those　academies。　It　is　not　for　any　officer；　the　creature　of　the　government　it　is　not　for　any　student；　the　willing　ward　of　that　governmentto　say　who　shall　enter　the　national　schools　and　be　the　recipients　of　my　bounty。　It　is　the　duty　of　every　member　of　Congress　to　see　that　the　government　sanctions　no　such　spirit；　and　it　becomes　every　loyal　citizen　who　wishes　to　avoid　the　mistakes　of　the　former　war　to　see　to　it　that　no　class　be　excluded；　and　that　every　boy；　once　admitted；　shall　have　the　strictest　justice　dealt　out　to　him；　a　thing　which；　thus　far；　has　not　been　done　in　the　case　of　the　colored　cadets。

〃The　true　remedy　lies　in　the　feelings　and　sympathies　of　the　officers　of　these　academies；　in　the　ability　and　fair　investigations　of　the　board　of　examiners；　not　from　such　gentlemen　as　at　present　seem　to　rule　these　institutions。

〃NIGER　NIGRORUM。〃

This　article　was　taken　from　some　South　Carolina　paper　during　the　summer　of　'74。　Its　tone　is　in　accordance　with　the　multitude　of　articles　upon　the　same　subject　which　occurred　about　the　same　time；　and；　like　them　all；　or　most　of　them；　is　rather　farfetched。　It　is　too　broad。　Its　denunciations　cover　too　much　ground。　They　verge　upon　untruth。

As　to　Conyers　and　McClellan　at　the　Naval　Academy　I　know　nothing。　Of　Napier　I　know　nothing。　Of　Smith　I　prefer　to　say　nothing。　Of　Williams　I　do　express　the　belief　that　his　treatment　was　impartial　and　just。　He　was　regularly　and　rightly　found　deficient　and　duly　dismissed。　The　article　seems　to　imply　that　he　should　not　have　been　〃found〃　and　dismissed　simply　because　he　was　a　negro。　A　very　shallow　reason　indeed；　and　one　〃no　fair…minded　man〃　will　for　an　instant　entertain。

Of　four　years'　life　at　the　Academy；　I　spent　the　first　with　Smith；　rooming　with　him。　During　the　first　half　year　Williams　was　also　in　the　corps　with　us。　The　two　following　years　I　was　alone。　The　next　and　last　year　of　my　course　I　spent　with　Whittaker；　of　South　Carolina。　I　have　thus　had　an　opportunity　to　become　acquainted　with　Smith's　conduct　and　that　of　the　cadets　toward　him。　Smith　had　trouble　under　my　own　eyes　on　more　than　one　occasion；　and　Whittaker*　has　already　received　blows　in　the　face；　but　I　have　not　had　so　much　as　an　angry　word　to　utter。　There　is　a　reason　for　all　this；　and　had　〃Niger　Nigrorum〃　been　better　acquainted　with　it　he　had　never　made　the　blunder　he　has。

*Johnson　Chestnut　Whittaker；　of　Camden；　South　Carolina；　appointed　to　fill　vacancy　created　by　Smith's　dismissal；　after　several　white　candidates　so　appointed　had　failed；　entered　the　Academy　in　September；　1876。　Shortly　after　entering　he　was　struck　in　the　face　by　a　young　man　from　Alabama　for　sneering　at　him；　as　he　said；　while　passing　by　him。　Whittaker　immediately　reported　the　affair　to　the　cadet　officer　of　the　day；　by　whose　efforts　this　belligerent　Alabama　gentleman　was　brought　before　a　court…　martial；　tried；　found　guilty；　and　suspended　for　something　over　six　months；　thus　being　compelled　to　join　the　next　class　that　entered　the　Academy。

I　cannot　venture　more　on　the　treatment　of　colored　cadets　generally　without　disregarding　the　fact　that　this　is　purely　a　narrative　of　my　own　treatment　and　life　at　West　Point。　To　go　further　into　that　subject　would　involve　much　difference　of　opinion；　hard　feelings　in　certain　quarters；　and　would　cause　a　painful　and　needless　controversy。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　CHAPTER　XI。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　RESUME。

JULY　1；　1876！　Only　one　year　more；　and　yet　how　wearily　the　days　come　and　go！　How　anxiously　we　watch　them；　how　eagerly　we　count　them；　as　they　glimmer　in　the　distance；　and　forget　them　as　they　fade！　What　joyous　anticipation；　what　confident　expectation；　what　hope　animates　each　soul；　each　heart；　each　being　of　us！　What　encouragement　to　study　this　longing；　this　impatience　gives　us；　as　if　it　hastened　the　coming　finale！　And　who　felt　it　more　than　I？　Who　could　feel　it　more　than　I？　To　me　it　was　to　be　not　only　an　end　of　study；　of　discipline；　of　obedience　to　the　regulations　of　the　Academy；　but　even　an　end　to　isolation；　to　tacit　persecution；　to　melancholy；　to　suspense。　It　was　to　be　the　grand　realization　of　my　hopes；　the　utter；　the　inevitable　defeat　of　the　minions　of　pride；　prejudice；　caste。　Nor　would　such　consummation　of　hopes　affect　me　only；　or　those　around　me。　Nay；　even　I　was　but　the　point　of　〃primitive　disturbance；〃　whence　emanates　as　if　from　a　focus；　from　a　new　origin；　prayer；　friendly　and　inimical；　to　be　focused　again　into　realization　on　one　side　and　discomfiture　on　the　other。　My　friends；　my　enemies；　centre　their　hopes　on　me。　I　treat　them；　one　with　earnest　endeavor　for　realization；　the　other　with　supremest　indifference。　They　are　deviated　with　varying　anxiety　on　either　side；　and　hence　my　joy；　my　gratitude；　when　I　find；　July　1；　1876；　that　I　am　a　first…classman。

A　first…classman！　The　beginning　of　realization；　for　had　I　not　distanced　all　the　colored　cadets　before　me？　Indeed　I　had；　and　that　with　the　greater　prospect　of　ultimate　success　gave　me　double　cause　for　rejoicing。

A　first…classman！　〃There's　something　prophetic　in　it；〃　for　behold

〃The　country　begins　to　be　agitated　by　the　approaching　graduation　of　young　Flipper；　the　colored　West　Point　cadet　from　Atla