ory-teller;
he was an orator, and in dealing with the problem of slavery proved
himself to be a thinker. The old story of his bondage became stale to
him. His friends' advice to keep on telling the same story could no
longer be complied with; and dashing out of the beaten path of
narration he began a career as an orator that has had no parallel on
this continent. He found no adequate satisfaction in relating the
experiences of a slave; his soul burned with a holy indignation
against the institution of slavery. Having increased his vocabulary of
words and his information concerning the purposes and plans of the
Anti-Slavery Society, he was prepared to make an assault upon slavery.
Instead of being the pupil of the anti-slavery friends who had
furnished him a great opportunity, his close reasoning, blighting
irony, merciless invective, and matchless eloquence made him the peer
of any anti-slavery orator of his times. His appearance on the
anti-slavery platform was sudden. He appeared as a new star of
magnificent magnitude and surpassing beauty. All eyes were turned
toward the "fugitive slave orator." His eloquence so astounded the
people that few would believe he had ever felt the cruel touch of the
lash. Moreover, he had withheld from the public, the State and place
of his nativity and the circumstances of his escape. He had done this
purposely for prudential reasons. In those days there was no
protection that protected a fugitive slave against the slave-catcher
assisted by the United States courts. To reveal his master's name and
recount the exciting circumstances under which he had made his escape
from bondage, Mr. Douglass felt was but to invite the slave-hounds to
Massachusetts and endanger his liberty. But there were many good
friends hard by who were ready to pay the market value of Mr. Douglass
if a price were placed upon his flesh and blood. They urged him,
therefore, to write out an account of his life as a slave,--to be
specific; and to boldly mention names of places and persons. In 1845 a
pamphlet written by Mr. Douglass, embodying the experiences of a
"fugitive slave," was published by the Anti-Slavery Society. It
breathed a fiery zeal into the apathy of the North, and drew the fire
of the Southern press and people. For safety his friends sent him
abroad. During the voyage, in accepting an invitation to deliver a
lecture on slavery, he gave offence to some pro-slavery men who
desired very much to feed his bod