Ottilie Assing to Frederick Douglass, March 19, 1879

OTTILIE ASSING TO FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Hoboken[, N.J.] 19 March 1879.

MY DEAR FRIEND:

As a matter of course your description of the sensible funeral which you gave to the poor little piece of humanity^{1This is most likely a reference to the funeral of Douglass’s grandson Edward Arthur Douglass (1877–79), who died at Cedar Hill on 13 March. Fought, Women, 310.} has been highly gratifying to me

although in fact I did not expect anything less of my dear, enlightened boy. It never occurred to me that you might feel tempted to make humiliating concessions to superstition and prejudice; I felt perfectly sure of you and have been right in my anticipations as almost always. You will remember how frequently I told you <in former years> that even in respect to worldly success—entirely aside from the gratifying consciousness of intellectual and moral independence—you would make your career just as well outside as inside of the Church, no matter whether denounced or blessed by the pious and now you are the “bloated officeholder!” appointed even by a praying President^{2During his presidency, Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife, Lucy Webb Hayes, were known to set aside time each morning for a prayer session and Bible reading, which always concluded with a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer. Mrs. Hayes also hosted a weekly hymn singing at the White House. Hans L. Trefousse, Rutherford B. Hayes (New York, 2002), 102; Richard Norton Smith, “The Gold in the Gilded Age,” in The White House: Actors and Observers, ed. William Seale, (New York, 2002), 80–82.} and the more honored for your moral courage by all sensible, enlightened people. It is a great grief and serious source of care to me that your financial <affairs> condition should nevertheless be in so unsatisfactory and precarious a condition. I had hoped that these four years in office would be amply sufficient to secure to you a modest independence and freedom from financial cares for the remainder of your life and I still think that you might have accomplished it if it were not for all the hangerson and parasites who abuse of your kindness either on the plea of relationship or on that of being allies in opinion. No opening yet for Charles^{3Following the death of his wife in September 1878, Charles R. Douglass left his children with his parents at Cedar Hill and took his wife’s body back to New York to be buried near her family home. It appears that he remained in New York for many months after the funeral, during which he was unemployed, as his father noted in a letter to Amy Post in April 1879. Douglass to Amy Post, 14 April 1879, Post Family Papers, NRU; Blight, Prophet of Freedom, 606; Fought, Women, 223.} I suppose? How much longer does he expect to be supported in idleness?

No, you really wrong me in supposing that I underestimate the ailments of others and yours in particular. It is just the reverse, for since I consider physical suffering the greatest, most absolute and unconditional evil for which there is no compensation whatsoever, I feel deeper pity with those afflicted in that line than with any others. When after waiting most anxiously I received your note in which you informed me that though yet suffering from a cold, you expected to be all right again within a few days I rejoiced of course to learn that it was nothing worse. If then you yourself underestimated your ailment, I am heartily sorry for it, yet could not anticipate it.

You give expression to a thought which I have entertained for some time without uttering it thus far: yes, war would be the best thing to save us from another edition of the bad old times! In my opinion it would also be the only means for preventing the final dissolution of the Union, since I don’t see any possibility of a solid North and solid South of living together peaceably in the long run under the conditions now existing <for> which redress can only be had through another war. I am truly delighted to see you take such a hopeful view of the political outlook, for I trust your judgment and need it to brace me up, since I feel almost despondent in view of a Congress Democratic in both branches with vast powers for mischief.^{4At the beginning of the Forty-sixth Congress, which lasted from 4 March 1879 to 4 March 1881, the Republican party controlled the Senate, 38–36, while the Democrats controlled the House of Representatives, 145–136. By the end of the session, however, Democrats controlled both houses: 42–31 in the Senate, and 146–129 in the House. Kenneth C. Martin, The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789–1989 (New York, 1989), 133–34; Kenneth C. Martin, The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts, 1789–1983 (New York, 1982), 113–14.}

A note from Mr. Koehler^{5Sylvester Rosa Koëhler.} to Dr. Kudlich^{6Johann “Hans” Kudlich.} announces his arrival toward the end of the week. He adds that there is now a prospect of for the realization of his favorite plans. That would be a great thing, too good indeed to conceive great hopes, since in the case of failure the disappointment too would be the more bitter.

I shall have a severe strain on my time. The other day Willy Loewenthal^{7William Tell Lowenthal.} came to me and told me that he was going to leave the public school, that there was no discipline, that he had no respect for his teachers and consequently wasted his time without learning anything. He therefore asked me to teach him the languages for a while previous to and in preparation for his entering some kind of business. All this winter I have devoted a whole evening of the week to him, but in the future I shall have to give him another for I cannot well refuse under the circumstances, especially since the dear fellow has an unbounded confidence in my ability as well as in my friendship for him and in that confidence he must not be disappointed. He is indeed like a faithful comrade to me.

Good [illegible] health and all other good things to you!

Yours ever

OTTILIA

ALS: General Correspondence File, reel 3, frames 319R–21, FD Papers, DLC.