310 The Slaver and the Missionary 
which is as little fitted to teach anything about 
the African as to legislate for Mongolian Tartary. 
It has prevailed for a time to the great injury of 
the cause, and we cannot but see its effects in 
almost every step taken by the Englishman, civi¬ 
lian or soldier, who lands his British opinions and 
prejudices on the West Coast, and who, utterly 
ignoring the fact that the African, as far as his 
small interests are concerned, is one of the clearest 
sighted of men, unhesitatingly puts forth addresses 
and proclamations which he would not think of 
submitting to Europeans. But I have faith in my 
countrymen. If there be any nation that deserves 
to be looked upon as the arbiter of public opinion 
in Europe, it is England proper, which, to the 
political education of many generations, adds an 
innate sense of moderation, of justice, and of fair 
play, and a suspicion of extreme measures how¬ 
ever theoretically perfect, which do not exist else¬ 
where. Heinrich Heine expressed this idea after 
his Maccabean fashion, “ Ask the stupidest 
Englishman a question of politics, and he will say 
something clever ; ask the cleverest Englishman 
a question of religion and he will say something 
stupid.” Hence the well-wishers of England can 
feel nothing but regret when they find her clear 
and cold light of reason obscured, as it has been, 
upon the negro question by the mists and clouds 
of sentimental passion, and their first desire is to 
see this weakness pass away. 
