How Frederick Douglass Got His Name

Once initiated into iny new life of freedom. and aasured by Mr. Jolinson that 1 Deed not fear recapture in tlia.t city, New Bedford, a comparatively unimportunt questlOD aróse as to the name by whicb I should be known thereafter in my new relatton as a free man. Tlie name glven mr by my dear mother was no less pretentiuns and long thM Frederick Augustus Washington Baik-y. 1 had, liowever, whilc living in Miuyland, dispensed with the Augustus Washington, and retained only Frederick Bailey. Betwcen Baltimore and New Bedfocd, the botter to conceal myself tromtlie elave-liunters, I liad paited with Bailey and callud myself .lohnson; but iu New Bedford I f'ound that the .lohnson family was already so numerous as to cause soma confusión in distínguisliintf them, henee a change in tliis name seemed desirable. Nüthan .lohnson, mine host, placed great emphasla opon thls necesslty, and wiahed mi' to nllow liiin to select a naiuc for me. I consented, and he mlM me by my present name - the one by whieh I have been known lor tliree and forty y í'rederiok Dontflass. Mf. Johnson hadjust been reading "The Lady of the Lakc," and ¦opUaiedwM newithtti great otMuaotor that liewislii'd me to bcaijhis name. Sincc rcaiüntliat charming poem myself, I have often thouht that; conslderlng the noble liospitality and manly character of Nathan Johnson - black man tliouíh he was - he, far more than I, illustrated the virtues of the Douglas of ScoÜarid. Sure am I that, if iinv slavc-catchcr liad bnferëd his doniicile with a view to my recaptnre, Johnson would have shown hiinself like him of the