Our mothers their nurse-women, our sisters their
scrub-women, our daughters their maid-women, and our wives their
washer-women. Until colored men, attain to a position above permitting
their mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters, to do the drudgery and
menial offices of other men's wives and daughters; it is useless, it is
nonsense, it is pitiable mockery, to talk about equality and elevation
in society. The world is looking upon us, with feelings of
commiseration, sorrow, and contempt. We scarcely deserve sympathy, if we
peremptorily refuse advice, bearing upon our elevation.
We will suppose a case for argument: In this city reside, two colored
families, of three sons and three daughters each. At the head of each
family, there is an old father and mother. The opportunities of these
families, may or may not be the same for educational advantages--be that
as it may, the children of the one go to school, and become qualified
for the duties of life. One daughter becomes school-teacher, another a
mantua-maker, and a third a fancy shop-keeper; while one son becomes a
farmer, another a merchant, and a third a mechanic. All enter into
business with fine prospects, marry respectably, and settle down in
domestic comfort--while the six sons and daughters of the other family,
grow up without educational and business qualifications, and the highest
aim they have, is to apply to the sons and daughters of the first named
family, to hire for domestics! Would there be an equality here between
the children of these two families? Certainly not.
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