西奥多ˇSˇ莱特
(THEODORE S. WRIGHT)

对有色人种的偏见
Prejudice Against the Colored Man

只有受鞭打的人才懂得皮鞭的滋味……只有戴镣铐的人才知道镣铐的伤痛。

西奥多ˇSˇ莱特(1797一1847)是一名杰出的教士和废奴主义者。他出生于新泽西州ˇ在普林斯顿神学院受教育而成爲第一个从美国神学院毕业的黑人。他曾担任过纽约市黑人长老会教堂牧师的职务ˇ是美国反对奴隶制协会的创始人之一。他爲戒酒运动、教育、黑人选举权和土地改革四处奔忙。

1837年9月20日ˇ他在纽约乌提卡美国反对奴隶制协会的集会上作了以下的讲演。会议通过了这样的决议ˇ“决议ˇ我国所特有的偏见在信仰、集会和教育等诸方面将有色人种摆在了受歧视的卑微地位上。它还剥夺了他们在旅馆、客轮、舞台以及公共集会场所他们有权与其它公民一样所应ˇ受的热情 有礼的待遇。这种偏见就是奴隶制的幽魂所在ˇ它是恶贯满盈的ˇ必须予以谴责和ˇ除。”莱特的讲演是就这个决议而作的。

主席先生ˇ我是以满怀激动的心情站起来ˇ大会发言的。即使没有人要求我这样做我也会当仁不让的。我承认我本人对此决议甚感兴趣。然而ˇ只有受鞭打的人才懂得皮鞭的滋味ˇ只有戴镣铐的人才知道镣铐的伤痛。要不是本着这样的事实ˇ我是不会发言的。

事情很严重ˇ先生。当下存在着对有色自由人的偏见就ˇ大气一样无处不有。诚然ˇ在美国ˇ在我们这个州ˇ是有ˇ我这样黑皮肤的人ˇ他们没有受过鞭打ˇ没有妻离子散的遭遇ˇ也没有人从他们手上夺走《圣经》。诚然ˇ我们可以到国外走走ˇ可以ˇ受国内的舒适便利以及家庭之乐ˇ可以独处私室ˇ可以上教堂礼拜ˇ可以允许劝告我们的子女和邻人好自爲之。但是ˇ先生ˇ我们依然是奴隶ˇˇ镣铐的伤痛无所不在地折磨着我们。由于ˇ存如此偏见ˇ大会的决议谴责奴隶制的幽魂ˇ谴责ˇ行的法律。奴隶制思ˇ不以上帝之规对待芸芸衆生ˇ无视人的道德和文化修养。在这种情形下ˇ败坏了的公衆感情就助长了奴隶制幽魂的猖撅和ˇ行法律的肆无忌惮。这种幽魂使希望之花枯萎ˇ并常常使黑人父母面对自己的子女而叹息ˇ觉得他们还是不出生爲好。一个黑人母亲怀抱自己的幼儿时ˇ内心往往充满了悲伤。她ˇ到的是ˇ由于人们的偏见ˇ自己的子女无望在这块土地上成爲有用之人。先生ˇ这种偏见是邪恶的。

要是国家和教会明白这一点的话ˇ我就不会对这种置有色人种的名誉于死地的偏见的影ˇ发表任何言论了。这种影ˇ夺走了我们的一切ˇ伴随着我们从小到大ˇ使我们失去了获利、成才、ˇ有荣誉等所有机会ˇ使我们失去争取成爲对世界和对我们自己的有用之材所有奋发上进的动机。

首先ˇ它几乎完全剥夺了我们通过掌握技艺本领来获得各种利益的机会。一个黑人难有机会学一门本事ˇ即使能做到这一点ˇ在我们州的任何地方都难以找到雇主而发挥专长。多数大城市都有技工协会ˇ它们设立规章将黑人排除出本行业。在许多情况下ˇ即使我们的年轻人掌握了技术ˇ也不得不因爲在这个行业领域里发展无望而低就其它的行业。

要是在我们这个地方黑人父母有受教育的权利ˇ该多令人鼓舞ˇ要是在我们这个地方黑人父母能让子女入学掌握本领ˇ该多令人鼓舞ˇ然而ˇˇ在学校大门对他们是紧闭的。我就不用提及自己和其它黑人所遇到的诸多不便了ˇ 尽管上帝也是按自己的形ˇ塑造了我们。我也不用说明我们在旅行时碰到多少麻烦ˇ别人是怎麽对我们轻蔑地皱起眉头的。无论我们如何低三下四ˇ也摆脱不了无处不在的窘迫难堪。

但是ˇ先生ˇ这种偏见是变本加厉的。它将人们摒弃于天堂之外。先生ˇ当奴隶制将有色人种从大家庭中剔除出来剥夺他们的宗教权利时ˇ他们就成了异教徒。人们要问ˇ你们的基督教精神究竟是什麽ˇ你们是怎麽对待你们的同胞兄弟的ˇ你们口里谈论着未开化的人们并飘洋过海把《圣经》分发四处ˇ同时却把同胞拒之门外ˇ这是什麽逻辑ˇ碰到这种事情使我们痛心疾首……

感谢上帝ˇ有一个振奋人心的道义在此情况下鼓舞着历经践踏的有色贫苦人ˇˇ “这就是ˇ每个人的价值得到如实的社会评价ˇ事实上当他们仰望天堂时ˇ心里明白上帝将他们一并视爲苍生之员而不论他们的种族和背景ˇ处于羞辱与难堪ˇ身受讥讽与蔑视之时ˇ他们提起精神ˇ满怀希望ˇ他们不久将获得解放ˇˇ飞出樊笼的鸟儿ˇ展开双翅ˇ投入耶ˇ的怀抱欢欣雀跃ˇ他们将怜悯地俯陇那些蔑视奴隶ˇ认爲自己是上帝造就的人们ˇ俯瞰那些蔑视自己、将自己等同于奴隶的人们。赞美上帝ˇ因爲他制定了《福音书》的道义。要是没有这一切ˇ要是新生活的曙光遥遥无期ˇ我将不愿继续存活于世。ˇˇ爲了废奴运动ˇ赞美上帝!爲了反奴隶制之战ˇ爲了花岗岩石就要从它的基座高高滚下ˇ赞美上帝!然而ˇ只要有色人种被看成是劣等民族ˇ人们就会继续置他们的哭泣、呻吟和惨叫而不顾。

先生ˇ身处这个协会我欢欣鼓舞。加入这个协会的那一天是我有生以来最感自豪的一天ˇ我知道ˇ如果今天要我去死ˇ我会死得其所ˇ死得泰然的ˇ因爲我明白会有人爲了我的子女的事业奔走呼吁的。

我要通过你ˇ先生ˇ要求与会代表们抓紧这个议题。奴隶们ˇ对我们说ˇ你们对奴隶的爱到哪儿去了?你们对踩在你们脚下的黑人的爱到哪 里去了?你们叫我们解放我们的奴隶ˇ而你们自己却在感情上奴役着他们ˇ这样ˇ你们以你们的偏见看待他们ˇ比我们用我们的方式对待他们ˇ所造成的伤害要严重得多了。抓紧这个议题ˇ我们就可以让他们住口ˇ他们在提醒我们根据每个人自身的价值ˇ尊重人的存在ˇ把黑人当人看ˇ以表示我们对沦爲奴隶的人们的热爱。

Prejudice Against the Colored Man

Mr. President, with much feeling do I rise to address the society on this resolution, and I should hardly have been induced to have done it had I not been requested. I confess I am personally interested in this resolution. But were it not for the fact that none can feel the lash but those who have it upon them, that none know where the chain galls but those who wear it, I would not address you.

    This is a serious business, sir. The prejudice which exists against the colored man, the free man is like the atmosphere, everywhere felt by him. It is true that in these United States and in this State, there are men, like myself, colored with the skin like my own, who are not subjected to the lash, who are not liable to have their wives and their infants torn from them: from whose hand the Bible is not taken. It is true that we may walk abroad; we may enjoy our domestic comforts, our families; retire to the closet; visit the sanctuary, and may be permitted to urge on our children and our neighbors in well doing. But sir, still we are slaves--everywhere we feel the chain galling us. It is by that prejudice which the resolution condemns, the spirit of slavery, the law which has been enacted here, by a corrupt public sentiment, through the influence of slavery which treats moral agents different from the rule of God, which treats them irrespective of their morals or intellectual cultivation. This spirit is withering all our hopes, and ofttimes causes the colored parent as he looks upon his child, to wish he had never been born. Often is the heart of the colored mother, as she presses her child to her bosom, filled with sorrow to think that, by reason of this prejudice, it is cut off from all hopes of usefulness in this land. Sir, this prejudice is wicked.

    If the nation and church understood this matter, I would not speak a word about that killing influence that destroys the colored man's reputation. This influence cuts us off from everything; it follows us up from childhood to manhood; it excludes us from all stations of profit, usefulness and honor; takes away from us all motive for pressing forward in enterprises, useful and important to the world and to ourselves.

    In the first place, it cuts us off from the advantages of the mechanic arts almost entirely. A colored man can hardly learn a trade, and if he does it is difficult for him to find any one who will employ him to work at that trade, in any part of the State. In most of our large cities there are associations of mechanics who legislate out of their society colored men. And in many cases where our young men have learned trades, they have had to come to low employments for want of encouragement in those trades.

    It must be a matter of rejoicing to know that in this vicinity colored fathers and mothers have the privileges of education. It must be a matter of rejoicing that in this vicinity colored parents can have their children trained up in schools.--At present, we find the colleges barred against them.

    I will say nothing about the inconvenience which I have experienced myself, and which every man of color experiences, though made in the image of God. I will say nothing about the inconvenience of traveling; how we are frowned upon and despised. No matter how we may demean ourselves, we find embarrassments everywhere.

    But sir, this prejudice goes farther. It debars men from heaven. While sir, slavery cuts off the colored portion of the community from religious privileges men are made infidels. What, they demand, is your Christianity? How do you regard your brethren? How do you treat them at the Lord's table? Where is your consistency in talking about the heathen, traversing the ocean to circulate the Bible everywhere, while you frown upon them at the door? These things meet us and weigh down our spirits. . . .

    Thanks be to God, there is a buoyant principle which elevates the poor down-trodden colored man above all this:--It is that there is society which regards man according to his worth; it is the fact, that when he looks up to Heaven he knows that God treats him like a moral agent, irrespective of caste or the circumstances in which he may be placed. Amid the embarrassments which he has to meet, and the scorn and contempt that is heaped upon him, he is cheered by the hope that he will be disenthralled, and soon, like a bird set forth from its cage, wing his flight to Jesus, where he can be happy, and look down with pity on the man who despises the poor slave for being what God made him, and who despises him because he is identified with the poor slave. Blessed be God for the principles of the Gospel. Were it not for these, and for the fact that a better day is dawning, I would not wish to live.--Blessed be God for the anti-slavery movement. Blessed be God that there is a war waging with slavery, that the granite rock is about to be rolled from its base. But as long as the colored man is to be looked upon as an inferior caste, so long will they disregard his cries, his groans, his shrieks.

    I rejoice, sir, in this Society; and I deem the day when I joined this Society as one of the proudest days of my life. And I know I can die better, in more peace to-day, to know there are men who will plead the cause of my children.

    Let me, through you, sir, request this delegation to take hold of this subject. This will silence the slaveholder, when he says where is your love for the slave? Where is your love for the colored man who is crushed at your feet? Talking to us about emancipating our slaves when you are enslaving them by your feelings, and doing more violence to them by your prejudice, than we are to our slaves by our treatment. They call on us to evince our love for the slave, by treating man as man, the colored man as a man, according to his worth.