THE OF

MAN INTEGRITY AND HONOR

36 9 37 0 THE NOBLE MAN

philosopher. His background of somber experience and reflection imported into the island within four years, @able to S~ak a dialect
only seemed to set forth more brighdy the charm and gaiety of his intelligible.~to each other. Yet out of this mixed, an as yotr8ay,
companionship, and the generous m.yesty of his nature. i despicable mass he forgeda-Umnderbolt and hurled it at what? At

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the proudest blood in Europe, the Spaniard, and sent him home con-
~ I quered; at the most warlike blood in Europe, the French, and put
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. them under his feet, at the pluckiest blood in Europe, the English,
~ they skulked home to Jamaica.
Toussaint L'Ouverture: ~/l(a.t;.JA
/ I w~l him.. ~apoleon, but Napoleon made..~ way to
Soldier, Statesman, Martyr "emp~ over broken oaths and througb a spa of hlQod. This man
V never broke his word. I wouldJ:al1 him Cromwell, but Cromwettwas
From Wendell Phillips, Select Orations . onlYa soldier, anCTt:lie state he founded went down with Ihm-fIilo
v hisjiiVe. I woliki {'ill him W~~on, ~fdie ~~~~.~~~~!!-i~n
(\. herd~slaves. This man risked ~s emplretlierthan pennit t4e
slav~de in the humbles.!.!Illage of his <!2!Oinions.--·
A tribute to the leader of the Haitian indepmdence movement, Toussaint You think me a fanatic, for you read history, not with your eyes
L'Ouvenure (1743-1803), by the American abolitionist crusader Wendell but with your prejudices. But fifty years hence, when Truth gets a
Phillips (1811-1844). hearing, the Muse of history will put Phodon for the Greek, Brutus
for the Roman, Hampden for England, Fayette for France, choose
IT I stood here to tell you the story of Napole0ll:! I should take it " Washington as the bright consummate flower of our earlier civiliza-,
from the lips_~f Frenchmen, who find no language rich enough'to \.
ti.on, then, dipping her pen in.. th.e sunlight, will write in the clearl

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paint the gre<!t_~~~JLQf!he...nin.eteenili.£entury. Were I to tell you blue, .abQve them all, the name of the soldier, the statesman, the.
the story ofWashington, I should take it from your hearts--you, who martyr, Toussaint L'Ouverture. - .
think no marble white enough on which to calVe the name of the -""-'~ _.
Father of his country. But I am to tell you the story of a negro who has
left hardly one written line. You remember Macaulay says, comparing ~
Cromwell with Napoleon, thalCroriiwellSliowed tile greater military\(,
genius, if we consider Ei,!ine-iieversa~narmy lmtil he was forty; If
while Napoleon was educated from a bOy m the oesfmilitary schools'/'
in Europe. Cromwell manufactured his own army; Napoleon at the Rudyard Kipling
age of twenty-seven was placed at the head of the best Europe ever
saw. They were both successful; but, says Macaulay, with such disad-
vantages, the Englishmen showed the greater genius. Whether you If you can keep your head when all about you
allow the inference or not, you will at least grant that it is a fair mode Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
of measurement. Ap'ply.!!.!..o this negro. Cromwell n~ersaw an amlY x1 If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
till he ~ forty; this man never saw a soldier till he was fifty. Cromwell But make allowance for their doubting too;
manufactured hIS own anIly:::::=oufolwhatT'EiigIfshinen-the best If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
blood in Europe. Out of the middle class of Englishmen-the best Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
blood of the island. And with it he conquered what? Englishmen- Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
their equals. This man manufactured his army out-of-what? Out of )'J And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
what you call the despIcable race ofy.egr~!.debased, demoralized .
by two hundi-~ :Y~~'--.QL..tavery;One hundred thousand of them Hyou can dream-and not make dreams your master;
TL" ..L':_l_ __...I .. 1~.,.. ..1-_ ... _ .........,.. ... _ ... _ro.:--..