.t /^??&^? •*>-«- 4--— J^ZBWN&a»+2&fafdl&& MESSAGE OIF1 LOTE. SOUTH-SIDE VIEW Tave philosopher, with spectacles on, seated out near ! his study, in the suburbs of New York, in a cool refreshing ! shade, reading- a new book on the best means to elevate the ; colored people, published in the year four thousand three hvn- \ dred and seventy-six. i 4. Mr. Waddington of England, harranging the abolitionists of Boston, telling them that intense selfishness is the only cause of slavery ; the author of Cotton is King to one side, whisper- j ; ing to a crowd of whites and blacks, "most appropriately said;" j the crowd with hands up, shouting, huzza, huzza! j ! 5. Two philosophers amusing themselves, book in hand, solving j ; ' — \ G PREFACE-ILLUSTRATIONS. the problem, whether the author of Cotton is King recognizes the lawfulness of despotic governments, or the/w se doctrine. 6. The Scotchman procuring a wife t>y a stratagem; docu¬ ment in Jiand, walking off with his wife; justice of the peace and the witnesses beholding, with mouths and eyes stretched to the uttermost. 7. A Northerner, dressed in black linen, with spade in hand, " waiting a little," before lie passes by the American Constitu¬ tion, (flared before his wildly rolling eyes) to dig the great gulf of abolitionism. 8. An English Lord and the Czar of Russia, in a state of confusion, about the products of the tripple labor of a white man, a slave, and mule ; a New Yorker in a fit of laughter at the ludicrous scene, ( 9. Southern scenery; beautiful residence; mountains, hills, valleys; | "Rock and tree and flowing water;" a Northerner leaving with his basket of unsold bread. 10. A Southern Statesman viewing the import of Cotton is King through a pacific veil thrown over his face; standing be- I tween an African Seminary and Chapel; finely dressed darkies standing round with white eyes rolling above extended lips. 11. Sketch of a baseless fabric; singular structure, capsized; 1 tending northward toward an ocean of gloom ; streams of ashes floating by. 12. King Cotton seated on a White Throne; happy subjects; fine residence; clustering vines; domestic animals and fowls; snow-white cotton field ; field of waving corn, in silk ; a native African at a distance, looking on with a wishful eye. ]H. Northern scene; terrible insurrection of the free negroes North ; Bcecher and others to one side, all amazed, at the con¬ duct of their disciples. 14. Dholagir-Mountain of Fame, snow-white; young man and sister on the summit; eyes of the million beholding ; the hum¬ ble. father beholding through the mirror of a tear rising from " a generous wish." 15. Dismal valley; leafless, tangled shrubs; tall, dead trees inhabited by the owl; vultures, serpents, kyenas; ni<*lit, with all its horrors ; a man frozen .with despair. 10. Noble forest; majestic river ^imposing mountain ; a lovely preface-illustrations. 7 woman moving along the river; an angel of love hovering above, unaware to her, and shedding a radiant light along her way; a noble yortth meets her ; the " birds sing love in every spray." ' 18. Sweet American girl; wild-wood scenery on the shore of the roaring sea ; magnetic needle in her hand; her eyes fixed on ! the distant main Avith a serene, hopeful countenance! 19. The Eternal Panorama; Rainbow above ; endless beauties unfolding; the Infinite God, enthroned midst the Rainbow; the ; eyes of untold millions turned with new wonder and adoration to the Rainbow, while waiting in ecstacy, for each successive scene. i '20. Valor, a talisman on the breast of honor ; represented by a manly youth, with a brilliant mark on his breast; rural scenery under southern sky. | 21. Dispair, sitting on the Throne, in the Kingdom of ruin, in the form of a madman, with hideous countenance ; lowering 1 clouds, dripping blood. I 22. Beautiful edifice, in grove of stately trees; beautiful resi¬ dences extending far; flowing forests; waving fields ; majestic streams ; the Holy shrine ; the people of the United States, with trembling emotions, turning to the Mecca of True Liberty. It is not expected that the Ladies will leave the fair Republic of Letters, to stroll through the stubble field of Politics; and j hence the author has remained in the flowery republic, adorning his subject with the poesy of sentiment and love. I If in committing the book to their especial favor and protec- i tion he shall secure the earnest attention of the patriot and statesman, he trusts to awaken in them an impulse prompting ' to a higher concern in the cause of humanity. ! In so far as the effort shall tend to convince the Ladies of the justice of the peculiar institution, thus enlisting their magic influence on the side of peace and human progress, in these times of excitement and fanaticism, the success will be most gratifying to all lovers of the country. Tiie Author. Atlanta, Ga., June 4th, 18(30. INTRODUCTORY. truth and error contrasted. Truth is beauty radiant in the light of its own divine splendor. , It is the golden diadem of the statesman; the burnished shield of the patriot; the bright jewel of female loveliness ; the "gem of purest ray serene" that glows within the poet's mind. Error is deformity clothed in the habiliments of-despair. 'Drunk with the blood of innocence, it lurks, with demoniac smile, at the lone midnight hour. When it prowls thus, it is a ghostly fiend, whose breath is horror, and whose words are the stifled sighs of the dying. It sometimes assumes a less forbidding mien, but is ever dangerous: for it germinates in the mildew of a noisome atmosphere, where it inhales the poison of death. Its Fort is built in the valley of Mystification, and is in- crusted over with mossy prejudices, behind wrhich the envious spirit raises its hydra head, to peer out at the moving realities of life. Every thing in America, especially in the Sunny South, is extremely wonderful and surprising to its view,— and it shrinks from the light! How different is truth. It reigns upon the hill-top of Liberty, in the broad sunlight of heaven. It is bolder than the lion. It never offers violence to the innocent. If it de¬ scends from its lofty place with ponderous weight to the vale below, it is but to crush the fortress of Error,—ascending a^ain to its Majestic Throne, with "healing in its wings. SOIMDE VIEW OF " COTTON IS KING." " Cotton is King ; or, the Economical Relations of Sla¬ very," by Professor Christy, of Cincinnati, is an earnest ap¬ peal to the abolitionists, with labored arguments to induce them to change their policy of aggression against the institu¬ tion of African Slavery, with a hope of accelerating its final overthrow. That this is the prime object may be legitimately inferred from the whole tenor of the ingenious disquisition. The new policy, sought to be inaugurated, is the cultivation of cotton by free labor, to be augmented by a rational system of Colonization, promoted by educating and evangelizing the colored people. The overwhelming arguments against direct abolitionism, and unconditional emancipation, deduced from the continued, vicious degradation of the free blacks, under the operation of the old abolition schemes, serve a better purpose than the ob¬ ject for which they were intended by the quasi apologist for slavery; and while the philosopher, on the watch-tower of Southern Patriotism, will justly appreciate the facts of history, properly applied, as demonstrating the justice of negro slavery, in principle, as well as its policy, his honor will repel the reflections made against the morality of the institution. Had the author directly avowed his wish and ulterior object, in plain outspoken language, Southern magnanimity would have award to him more credit for the candor, that it will for the historic style in which that wish and object are obscurely set forth. The doctrine that African slavery is malum in se, upon which this fancied enterprise 13 devised, is no less insidiously enunciated, than the new policy; and if the writer hoped to win the co-operation of the southern people by such adroit¬ ness . of the pen, his judgment, if not his conscience, was 11 greatly at fault, in placing as low an estimate upon Southern discernment as he did upon the open expression of his own opinions. Mr. Christy : 4< The author would here repeat, then, that the main object he had in view, in the preparation of Cotton is King, was to convince the abolitionists of the utter failure of their plans, and that the policy they had pursued was pro- ductive of results, the opposite of what they wished to effect; [very kind solicitude ! B.] that British and American aboli¬ tionists, in destroying tropical cultivation by emancipation, in the West Indies, and opposing its promotion in Africa by Colonization, had given to slavery in the United States its prosperity and its power; that the institution was no longer to be controlled by moral or physical force, but had become wholly subject to the laws of Political Economy;—and that, therefore, labor in tropical countries, to supply tropical pro¬ ducts to commerce, and not insurrection in the United States, was the agency to be employed by those who would success¬ fully oppose the extension of American Slavery: for, just as long as the hands of the free should persist in refusing to supply the demands of commerce for cotton, just so long it would continue to be obtained from those of the slave." Such theorizing gives no clue to a successful opposition: for, the bondsmen are not like the captives of the ancient Grecian and Roman conquerors, slaves of a ruthless despot¬ ism, but the descendants of a peculiar race, destined by the divine laws of nature to a state of servitude, as will be shown in the sequel of this dissertation.—So, in exposing this chi¬ mera, it is not necessary to encumber the subject with a dis¬ cussion of the further questions: Whether the whites are as well adapted to the culture of cotton, as the blacks; Whether African free labor would not be driven from the battle ground of King Cotton, by superior forces;—and Whether the whole field occupied by the whites, would facilitate human progress ? It is hoped, however, that these questions will be duly con¬ sidered, in some leisure hour of reflection. Mr. Christ*: " The American Colonization Society began 12 SOUTH-SIDE VIEW OF " COTTOX IS KING." its labors when the eye of the statesman, the philanthropist, and the Christian, could discover no other plan of overcoming the moral desolation, the universal oppression of the colored race% than by restoring the most enlightened of their number to Africa itself." I The short italic criticism is sufficient to expose the procliv- j ities of 'f King Cotton." The vigilant sons and daughters of | the South are not likely to render homage to the abolition- despot. Mr. Christy : u In each successive conflict, the assailants of the institution of slavery have been weakened, while its dominion has been extended. This has arisen from causes too generally overlooked. Slavery is not an isolated system, J but is so mingled with the business of the world, that it derives : facilities from the most innocent transactions." This delicate compliment! to the peculiar institution, is so I beautiful, it might savor of sacrilegious violence to cloud its ] splendor by a breath of comment! | Mr, Christy; "To the superficial observer, all the agen- j cies based upon the sale and manufacture of cotton, seem to i be legitimately engaged in promoting human happiness; and 1 he, doubtless, feels like invoking heaven's choicest blessings upon them. When he sees the stockholders in the cotton corporations receiving their dividends, the operatives their wages, the merchants their profits, and civilized people every where clothed comfortably in cotton, he cannot refrain from exclaiming: The lines have fallen unto them in pleasant places ; yea, they have a goodly heritage! But turn a mo¬ ment to the source whence the raw cotton, the basis of these j operations, is obtained, and observe the aspect of things in j that direction. When the statistics" on the subject are exam- j ined, it appears that nine-tenths of the cotton consumed in | the Christian world is the product of the slave labor of the United States." This unkind impeachment of Southern honor is in perfect harmony only with the above stated object of the author; who, ! in another part of the work, courting public sympathy, concil ' ; south-side view of " c.otton is king." 13 , iatingly affirms (what every observer knew to be a plain mat¬ ter of history) that the institution of slavery "had become one of the most potent agents in the advancement of civiliza- i tion."—It remains to be seen whether such sympathy will be ! i gained by a wooing that studiously avoids expressing the ; slightest wish for the continuance of an institution so benefi¬ cial in its social results. Mr. Christy : " As African emancipation, in every exper- j iment made, has thrown a dead weight upon Anglo-Saxon ' progress, the colored people must wait a little, until the gen- | eral battle for the liberties of the civilized wrorld is gained, ! I before the universal elevation of the barbarous tribes can be ! achieved. This work, it is true, has been commenced at various outposts in heathendom, by the missionary, but is i impeded by numberless hindrances; and these obstacles to I the progress of Christian civilization, doubtless will continue, | until the friends of civil and religious liberty shall triumph j in nominally Christian countries ; and with the wealth of the | nations at command, instead of applying it to purposes of i war, shall devote it to sweeping away the darkness of super- | stition and barbarism from the earth, by extending the knowl- i edge of science and revelation to all the families of man." The argument of the modest historian is, that, " The Afri¬ cans, of savage origin, cannot be elevated, at once, to.an I equality with the American people, by the mere force of legal , enactments." | Now, whether they can be so elevated, at once, or ever, by | 1 the force of legal enactments, or any other means, is most | likely to remain an open question, furnishing matter to inter- , ! est the curious historian and philosopher, in all ages to come! ; Although Professor Christy " proposes not to speak of i: remedies for slavery," he remarks, that, "It may be reason- ' j ably doubted, whether any thing efficient can be speedily \ j accomplished: not because there is lack of territory where freemen may be employed in tropical cultivation, as all "West- ! ern and Central Africa, nearly, is adapted to this purpose; not because intelligent free labor, under proper incentives, is ' 14 SOUTH-SIDE YTEW OF " COTTON IS KING." less productive than slave labor; but because freemen, whose constitutions are adapted to. tropical climates, will not avail themselves of the opportunity of commencing such an enter¬ prise." Again: " Those who believe that slavery is a great, civil and social evil, entailed upon the country, and are ex¬ tending the gospel to both master and slave, with the hope of removing it peaceably, cannot be reproached with acting in¬ consistently with their principles." And again: " That the Christian Churches South, are pursuing the true policy for the moral welfare of the slave population, will be admitted by ail right minded men,"—remarking, that, " The present chapter cannot be more appropriately closed, than by quoting the language of Rev. J. Waddington, of England, at a meet¬ ing in behalf of the American Missionary Association, held in Boston, July, 1859"—a portion of the quotation being in these words; " What is it that causes slavery and oppression ? Selfishness, intense, self-destroying selfishness if you will. Nothing can exorcise that selfishness but the constraining love of Christ. The gospel alone, by the spirit of God, can waken freedom in men, in families, in nations." Now, whether any remedy is proposed by these suggestions, is a matter of but small moment compared to the force of their appliance, to be hereinafter tested. THE PER SE DOCTRINE. The timid author, still persisting in expressing no opinion of his own upon the subject of slavery, makes "the more popular belief" identify the moral character of slavery with despotic forms of government; and ventures to assert, that, " To deny the lawfulness of despotism, and yet hold inter¬ course with such government, is as inconsistent as to hold the per se doctrine, as to slavery, and still to use its products." How inconsistent he considers the latter class, can be inferred from his satisfying himself by " sound logical views," that, " Those who hold the per se doctrine, and purchase the pro¬ ducts of slave labor, are participes criminis with the slave holders;"—who are regarded, mind you, by those holding the per se doctrine, as " thieves and robbers." SOUTH-SIDE VIEW OF "COTTON IS KING." 15 THE ANECDOTE. He illustrates the pliancy of their consciences, by the anec¬ dote of the old Scotch Camerian, •who found himself in want of a wife, in the State of Pennsylvania, and who conscien¬ tiously opposed the National and State Government, as being unlawful, unrighteous, and ungodly. Yet he must have a wife. The queen of his heart would not consent to his plan. Like Great Britain, for the want of cotton, he felt that he must suffer, if he failed to possess his Lady Love.. So he proceeds, " like other folk," to the magistrate's office ; they twain are pronounced one; the happy bride is kissed,—the good Camerian draws a written document from his pocket, and reads aloud before the magistrate and witnesses, protest¬ ing against the lawfulness of the ceremony, and went his way rejoicing that he had obtained a wife without recognizing the tyrany of ungodly governments. INNOCENT AMUSEMENT. The logician will doubtless be amused, both at the cunning of the Scotchman, and the dexterity of the Professor, -who proposes not to speak of any remedies for slavery, and to " offer no opinion" on this question; (that of the consump¬ tion of the products of slave labor by those who hold the per se doctrine) and yet, in view, no doubt, of the " oppres¬ sions" of the colored people, says, that, " This question con¬ tains the germ of the grand error in nearly all anti-slavery effort." The logical reader will also find amusement in solving the question, whether the Professor recognizes the lawfulness of despotic governments, or the malum in se doctrine of African slavery. And now having been amused in solving these little prob¬ lems, the reader will continue to be amused, or not, as his philosophy may serve him, as he scans the following language of the Professor: " While the products of slave labor are used by all classes, of every sentiment, and country, nearly, how can the slaveholder be brought to see any thing in the 16 SOUTH-SIDE VIEW OF " COTTOX IS KIKG." practice of the world, to alarm his conscience, and make him cringe before his fellow men, as a guilty robber ?" UY THE WAY. A few words outside the purview of this dissertation, to show the fallacy of the arguments upbraiding the consciences of his per se abolition friends for purchasing and using the products of slave labor. As poor reasoners as they are on the subject of slavery—granting the per se doctrine to be true, for this argument—they certainly possess discrimination enough lo perceive that there is no analogy between the pro¬ ducts of slave labor, and the "confusion of goods," in the sense in which he makes the comparison. He makes the moral ownership of the products of the mixed labor of the master and slave, depend upon the moral right of the master to hold the slave; and if slavery be malum in se, classifies those products with the fruits of robbery; determining the moral right of the property in favor of the innocent slave ; setting aside, as worthless, the protection, skill, and labor, on the part of the master, with his ownership of the land cul¬ tivated. This moral right of the master has no more bearing upon the character of cotton in its economical relations to com¬ merce, than the moral right of the master to hold the mule with which the slave plows the cotton. If England, (the proud, Majestic Nation will excuse the supposition) like ancient Egypt, in her reverence for the ibis and the cat, had, unfortunately, from time immemorial, con¬ secrated the mule as one of the deities of her worship, sup¬ pose ye, that her law of the " confusion of goods" would determine the moral or political right to the products of the tripple labor in favor of the droll deity, to the exclusion of the slave? Or would it divide the spoils between them? And in the latter case, what would become of the consciences or manufactories of the Nations that recognize the justice and policy of African slavery, and should oppose the unhallowed conversion of the goods as subversive of civilization ? SOUTH-SIDE VIEW OF " COTTON IS KING." 17 This view of the subject may be regarded by some as rather grave. It is intended as a violent illustration of the extreme i folly of the specious arguments of King Cotton on this subject. ■ Cotton produced by the labor of an honest, humane white ! , man, and cotton produced by the labor of a dishonest, mali¬ cious white man, in its politico-moral relations to the com- I mercc of the world, is nothing but cotton—whether the mali- ciousness of the latter consisted in oppression to a white or black servant.—Not that sin should abound, but the grace of ! a generous inter-national policy. What petty tyrant would assume the censorship of the I Commercial world, and with the fiat of infallibility ordain ' the rule to harmonize the intercourse of nations ? Granting, as above, the injustice of slavery for the argu- ! ment, if the " confusion" .argument (against which he brings ! his logic) weighs a feather in the adjustment of this question, | | does not the cotton, raised by independent free labor, and by i the mixed labor of the master and slave, all confused in the i General Depot of Nations, become a moral offering, of the I innocent producers, to the commerce of the world? In view of the complicated affairs of civil life, involving i cotton in its transit around the globe, doubtless his counselled ! friends will be disposed to esteem his animadversion as more ] ludicrous, than logical. ' ' THE TWO RATIONALES. j | The Professor's rationale of the Kansas-Nebraska move¬ ment is that the territories thereby opened up will yield a ! constant supply of provisions, to support slave labor in its production of cotton; and that the movement will foster the i institution of slavery, whether it result in a division of the j I territories into slave States, or their admission " as free States j triumphantly into the Union." In the latter event, he con- ' sidcrs that the inhabitants of the new free States would " Turn in, as all the rest of the new Western States have done, and help to feed slaves, or those who manufacture or who sell the products of slaVe labor." He regards " the pres- 3 18 South-side view of "cottox is king." ent efforts to plant them with slavery, indispensible to pro¬ duce sufficient excitement to fill them speedily with a free population;" and says, that, "If this whole movement has been a Southern scheme to cheapen provisions, and increase the ratio of the production of sugar and cotton, as it most unquestionably will do, it surpasses the statesman-like strategy which forced the people into an acquiescence in the annexation of Texas." The grounds upon which he bases the above absurd cogita¬ tions, is the false assumption, that, " Were the planters left to grow their own provisions, they would be unable to produce , any cotton for export." The limits of this cursory review would not allow an ex- tended argument (if it were thought necessary) in refutation of this charge of Southern dependence on Northern pro- , visions. ' In the absence of the statistics on the subject, the writer ventures to assert, that the value of the provisions exported from the South equal the value of those we import from the North. And if this be an assumption not supported by the facts, is it not still most presumptuously absurd to charge that, if left to its own resources, for provisions, the South would be unable to produce cotton, even for extensive export ? Do we not possess a land, " On which the smiles of heaven beam with uncommon refulgence ?" " A land," in the lan¬ guage of one of New York's orators, "embracing almost every soil and climate ; a land of tall mountains, of bold hills, of fertile valleys, of ' Rook and tree and flowing water ?' " Sir, tell it not, breathe it not, that such a land is dependent on the frozen generosity of the North for the bread of life. The rationale of the Kansas-Nebraska movement has been viewed in a different light by the people of the South. If free labor in the territories shall, in any way, contribute to strengthen slavery, the supplies will be forced by the same necessity and inherent virtues of the institution, which now force contribution from the reluctant North. SOUTH-SIDE VIEW OF "COTTON IS KING." 19 In connection with his rationale of the Kansas-movement, the author remarks, that some of the abolitionists, " In de¬ fending the Southern free trade system, have been digging their ditches on the wrong side of their breastworks." The rationale of "King Cotton ' seems to be about this: the author, under existing circumstances, desires the " friends of civil liberty," to "wait a little," before passing by the American Constitution, to build the Great Gulf of Aboli¬ tionism. THE ONLY MERIT, of any moment, in " Cotton is King," is the arguments unin¬ tentionally proving the negro incapable of that elevation ne¬ cessary to support the high position of progressive civil gov¬ ernment. The history of the miserable, continued, vicious degradation, and thriftlessness of the free nogroes North ; of the emanci¬ pated blacks of the West Indies and Ilayti; of the fugitives in Canada; of the liberated blacks of Liberia; and of the natives of Africa—all intended to convince the abolitionists of the necessity of a change of their policy—will be regarded by the vigilant sons of the South as no grateful offering, but only cumulative evidence, or confession ; and the confession will not be misapplied by the Southern statesmen in discuss¬ ing before the world, the great question of the Humanity of African slavery. He will be farsighted enough to give the import of Cotton is King a full survey through the pacific veil of Christian benevolence, so gracefully thrown over the Southern face! From the general strain of the historian, it is well under¬ stood why he does not disapprove the building of separate churches to aid in the general evangelization of the colored people. His " primary element of progress," put in lively exercise, with a corresponding " extension of science to the oppressed colored race," is doubtless his "bright sun that shall reveal the highway of their deliverance!" 20 SOUTH-SIDE VIEW OF " COTTON" IS KIXG." the superficial observer may regret this review, in the apprehension that the general acceptance of the Christy Platform, by the North, would tend, j at least, to allay the impulse of insurrection, and could not j affect the stability of African slavery. ( The latter conclusion is just as assuredly true, as that the j negro is stamped with the color of inferiority; but the former | hope should not be indulged too fondly: for philosophy and ! experience teach, that as the negro advances in civil knowl- I edge, his clouded mind becomes bewildered; and he is un- j gratefully rebellious in slavery, insolently despotic in freedom. ! ! a baseless fabric, The Christy policy is a grand error, founded, doubtless, in a charitable misconception of the peculiar constitution of the African; j This fatal tnisconception is the false premis, the arenaceous j corner stone, upon which a noble edifice of universal freedom j was attempted to be reared, with many mansions for the ac- j commodation of the North, and the South; proudly situated on the Mount of Hope, in the pleasant Clime of Conciliation. But alas, for the delusions of man, the fair structure is but " a baseless fabric," to be blown away northward into oblivion by the strong breeze of patriotism, wafted from the South. The separate churches and literary institutions for the civil i 1 elevation of the colored man, together with all the beautiful | ; surroundings, will disappear with the hopes of Beecher and j Christy, and others, of America, and of Spurgeon and Wad- 1 , (lington, and others, of the old world. This is no illusive drawing to please the envious imagina¬ tion, but truth presented in a striking form to attract the j sober attention of the world, in a manner, to make the re- membrance thereof forever vivid ! i i I I. THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN SLAVERY. 21 i THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN SLAVERY, | Cotton is not King. African slavery and selfishness i I are not a unity. I ; It is true, slavery is nourished in the interest of self-love, j j and what noble enterprise is not ? i Self-love is a divine law of human nature; the law of j self-protection; of social protection; of honor; as well as I | the spring of prosperity. Its true base is justice. Cotton does not make slaves. Slaves produce cotton. If "free labor can do the work as well," and will not, and slave labor is a "doer of the work," then it might be more appro- | priately said, that the institution of slavery is the King, Ma- j ker, or Lord of cotton. ! Professor Christy says, that, The Throne of King Cotton i is based on cotton, not on slaves. May it not with more pro¬ priety be said that the institution of slavery is based on slave labor, not on cotton ; or rather on the necessity of slave labor, growing out of the peculiar constitution and mental defection | of the negro ? | He says : His Majesty, King Cotton, receives no check | from the cries of the oppressed, while the citizens of the world are dragging forward his chariot, and shouting aloud his praise! j Perhaps the Professor has mistaken the rejoicings of his j happy subjects, for the cries of the oppressed, and that it is the beneficence, and not the cruelty of his reign, that makes his Majesty sit so firmly and complaisantly upon his White Throne ! Remember, " He is one of the most potent agents ! in the advancement of civilization." Justice is King. Suppose ye, that cotton, free trade, or ; no free trade, Congressional intervention, or nonintervention, ! could hold in bondage, beyond the jubilant year, the descend- j ants of our revolutionary sires ? Does history furnish a par- j 22 THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN SLAVERY. allel to the African—a race so universally enslaved, whether in freedom or slavery, and one so peculiarly adapted to sub¬ ordination and servitude ? From time immemorial, in his own native wilds, as well as in legal freedom, the negro has manifested one striking char¬ acteristic—that of maintaining the low social standard of negrodom. [It is hoped the modesty of the writer will be appreciated, in leaving the details of that social standard to general history. The argument will be more pleasing, and none the less com¬ plete, to the intelligent reader.] Should not, then, the continued cries of the distressed of | Africa, be heard, in their appeals, not to fanaticism, but to the Master spirits of the human family ? Those appeals may not be positive and direct, but they are borne upon the wings of the wind, streaming with the tears of the self-oppressed, calling aloud for protection in the high vocation of labor in the light of a superior intelligence. And what a field is here opened up for the exercise of an en¬ lightened philanthropy. A field where three wonderful agents, Humanity, Labor, and Intelligence, meet. The humble sub¬ jection of the slave, is well calculated to inspire the master with humane sentiments tempering the labor of the slave with the health-imparting vigor of moderation, directed by an en¬ lightened self-love that ever stands firmly by to guard and protect him from the evils of his own self-destroying passions, and the aggressions of external violence. ■A7*? one but a base coward could be cruel to a human being thus intrusted, by the courtesy of nature, to his guardian¬ ship and protection ! There could be no motive to such abuse, but that arising from a low, blind, mean malignity. The writer is an advocate of justice and mercy to the African in his true state of slavery; not of his oppression and cruelty. But if some mean, cowardly masters do give the abolitionists a plausible argument, does that neutralize the virtue of slavery ? No.—Every nation and people are more or less scourged by "man's inhumanity." That this malignancy pre- THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN SLAVERY. dominates against the African in a state of slavery, has not been spoken by the voice of history. Whence, then, do our enemies derive justification for their fiery maledictions against the peculiar institution ? But it may be assumed that deliv¬ erance from bondage is at least due those slaves that manifest higher degrees of intelligence and virtue than are common to the race ; that it is unjust and humiliating to such, to be en¬ slaved on account of their low origin. In disproving this assumption it becomes necessary to in¬ quire somewhat into the nature of THE SOCIAL LAW Of SLAVERY. We find in all civil conpacts, special terms diminishing some of the individual rights of the citizen, incident to man in a simple state of nature, as a political concession in favor of the greater general public good. This abridgement neces¬ sarily comprehends many duties required by the social law. In the latter case, however, the restriction might be more aptly defined the enforcement of natural rights, left discre¬ tionary in the savage state. The negro, in rising from the abnormal, to the normal state of slavery, and partaking of the benefits of the Domestic Government, cannot reasonably claim an exemption from the restrictive condition of his quasi civil liberty. And though the restrictions in his case, are not so limited as the restraints of the white man in a state of civil liberty proper, (the citizen having the right in time of peace to depart the realm, if not restrained by process of law) yet, it must be remembered, that the very nature of the Domestic-civil Government implies this further concession of his personal liberty, as being wholly consistent with the peculiar obligations arising from the cir¬ cumscribed social law of slavery. The negro is not only sub¬ ject to the civil laws that protect him as a slave, but to the domestic laws that protect him; and the very necessity which calls the whole colored race to this peculiar position of two¬ fold protection, not only justifies the requisition of menial labor, (the only contribution the African can render to civili- J 24 THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFKICA3T SLAYER"?. | zation) bat the prohibition of his freedom; thereby prevent- 1 ing disaffcctions in the Domestic Government, and inhibiting a tendency of slavedora backward into the abnormal, savage state. It •will be seen from the premises, that the policy of this seemingly severe restriction is charity to the African I brotherhood. The slave should not be permitted to withdraw j from the fulfilment of the obligations devolved upon him by 1 the peculiar relations existing between him and his fellow ' servants.—He must yield to the mandates of this mighty i social law. It cannot be violated with impunity. More j than half the woes that wring the hearts of the oppressed | colored people in the North, are evils following its infraction. ; They are this moment in the violation of this great social law. ! Out of slavery, the negro is out of his duty, beyond his true social relations to his fellows, and to the citizen. Out of ' slavery, in the South, he is a worthless fop; in the North, a persecuted dog; in Africa, a vagabond. What an inviting field, then, slavery presents to the free negroes of the North. This is said only in a spirit of charity to them. It is not expected that they will at once recognize the policy of choosing masters; but it is strongly apprehend- ! ed that the most enlightened of them will ere long begin to appreciate the invitations of slavery. Hoodwinked by their oppressors (who through jealousy of ' the South and for the spoils of office pretend to despise slavery) ; they bow their heads like dogs, at their feet. They (their 1 cruel masters) would treat them with utter contempt in the I halls of legislation, and bitterly scorn the wisest and best of J the fraternity from the communion at the marriage-supper- I table. Can there be anything under the heavens more degra- , ding, than to be flattered by the smiles of Contumely, and j j knowing the insult, skulk around in the outskirts of society ! | like an infamous dog, cringing from the rod of the oppressor, ' bemeaned and despised as an abominable wretch ? To have ! their susceptibility to civil liberty admitted, and yet by laws I and customs withhold from the free negroes equal adequate means for intellectual and moral improvement, and to treat I THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN SLAVERY. 25 them like dogs besides, is the most enormous insult that could be offered to any creature in the shape of a human being ! Being thus tampered with and reviled by the most odious contempt, it would not be surprising if even the low pride of the free negroes should be stirred to revenge, causing them to rise up in a mighty insurrection and struggle in blood for equality ! Talk not of the oppressions of the Southern slave. I would rather be a bondsman" of death, than to wear the glorious insignia of liberty a5?d yet be a vile slave. Absolute Slavery is alone honorable to the negro. He loses his respect before the would when he assumes the badge of freedom. "Whatever is, is right," in nature, bears strong analo¬ gies to many of the civil affairs of life ; and however we may deplore seeming imperfections, or imperfections if you please, even in the wisest human institutions, we should allow no rash philosophy to wield the sceptre of innovation. Fixing, then, the true destiny of the wisest and best negro in a continued state of slavery, it does not follow, by any means, that he has not his reward. He becomes virtually free, and this is his highest elevation. His ambition is satis¬ fied by his pre-eminence above his fellows, affording him the gratification of counselling them by an acknowledged author¬ ity, in the light of the special friendship of his master. His happiness is founded in a cheerful obedience to the- dictates of an enlightened conscience. It may not be complete—whose happiness is ? Joys are like the wand'ring comet in the sky, Ever passing, ah, forever passing by!— ! Moving, passing—on beyond the furthest view: j Like that comet,—faded in the azure hue! Furthermore, the exceptions to the mental debasement of j the blacks decide nothing in favor of the universal emancipa¬ tion of the African from the thraldom of ignorance, termi¬ nating the institution by the redemption of the race. Mark ye, the brightest exceptions claimed as an evidence of their susceptibility to the equality culture, seldom, if ever, exceed 4 26 the philosophy of african slavery. mediocrity, and hence they form a very unflattering index to the equilibrium of negro mentality—and this low equilibrium is not much in the direction of the hope of such redemption. Nor is the problem of slavery solved in favor of the special or general freedom of the negro, by the invidious comparison of these exceptions with the dull capacities of some of the Anglo-Saxon race. CONTRAST OF THE INTELLECTS—LIFE-ROMANCE. Observe first the descendants of those bright, particular stars of Ethiopia, and note, they are generally of a lesser magnitude than their erratic progenitors. In drawing the contrast between the high, and the low in¬ tellect, we would not tarry here to portray the dark features of the latter. The outline is sufficient. Who can look with a good cheer at the decline of virtue ? Who would linger upon the Observatory of Human Life, and with the Telescope of Inquiry, watch the waning glory of those erratic stars ? The progressive mind turns to a more soul-cheering contemplation: "Mark the man, whose wand'rings never knew The world's regard, that soothes, though half untrue; Whose erring heart the lash of 6orrow bore, But found not pity when it erred no more! Yon humble man, at whose dejected eye Th' unfeeling proud one looks—and passes by, . Condemned on Penury's barren path to roam— Scorned by the world, and left without a home;" And yet the " King of men," The good man, Whose sweetest solace is a "generous wish." Think ye, he is of ignoble blood? Mark the crimsoned blush that rises from that generous wish, and sits a divinity enthroned upon his beaming face ! Look yonder, see the noble son and daughter of this humble man, twin spirits of genius, ascending the steps of aspiration. Hand in hand, they march onward, upward; the weary spirits tremble in the lofty flight; one more struggle—behold, they plant their feet defiantly upon the summit of the Dholagir- 27 Mountain of Fame ! The achievement is rest to their souls I They look around and see the soul-lit eyes of the million turned with admiration to the Immortal Pyramid; and they exclaim, 0 ! all this toil is not for the " triumphs of an hour." And with outstretched arms, and uplifted eyes, thrilled with grate¬ ful, bounding impulses, they long to rise more triumphantly to seize the matchless glories of vast infinitude ! And now turn and behold that humble man, the devoted father, whose mild eyes are dimmed with the tears of a gen¬ erous wish, while he beholds his own fondest hopes crowned with the emblems of immortality; and if a generous emotion is stirred within your breast, tell me if the " homeless man" is of ignoble blood ? Let it not be murmured that, by this comparison, the in¬ tellect is sought to be set up as the divinity that shall rule the world.—Most distant from the thought. The laurels that crowned the brow of the illustrious Moral Teacher of Attica, over two thousand years ago, and the sweet flower, " love one another," that grew in the retired vale of Judea, are atill as fresh as the unfolding rose blooming in the smile of morn ; whilst the crimsoned trophies that marked the mad career of the terrible Persian De3pot; and those that crowned the fierce brow of the mighty Carthagenian General, are withered leaves, floating upon the autumnal winds of time—drifting steadily on to the tomb of oblivion. Millions died that Caesar might be great; but all his glory is eclipsed by the mild lustre of the wise and virtuous Prince. No, we would not make the intellect, alone, the divinity to rule the world. contrast of the affections. Intellect is not the divinity that rules the world. The power that speeds the car of civilization is enlightened loye. And now let us test the affections of the blacks, by the rule of contrast, (forced into this inquiry by the invidious compar¬ ison of their friends) and see if " a hope remains" for the freedom of the colored race in this respect. Woman lawfully graces the Throne of Love, and to her decision the question is respectfully submitted. 28 THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN SLAVERY. We will look again, first upon the dark side of the picture.— The mind is lifted up from the shadows of sorrow with renewed vigor and strength in the cheering light that comes to disperse | the clouds; lifted up with a bolder confidence in man; with a deeper admiration in viewing the ascending star of human¬ ity;—like the sun-flower, as the shadows of night recede, looking to the god of its worship, turning to his ascending glory with stronger faith. So let us first move among the shadows of a cold affection: Observe the African mother, happy in the choice of her husband. Years come and go, and she becomes attached to him and her children by reason of sympathy, mutual toils and sorrows, and mutual joys. Their4 little ones are as dear to her as the sweet little brood to the motherly hen, that gathers them under her wings of affection. All their little griefs and cries of distress but serve to call out to them the affections of the mother's heart; who, like the hen when the pirates of the sky dart through the air, broods Over her little ones with a closer, and more tender affection! What a pleasing devotion. Would you imagine, while viewing this manifestation of tenderness and love, in after years, when these ties were sundered by the roll¬ ing wheel of time, and she whirled off into the western wilds, that in sounding the highest notes in her song of her " good old home," the wish, to see her master, would be the bur¬ den of the strain ? Yet such is the fact. Why is this pecu¬ liar affection, if it be not that the negro owes natural fealty to the white man, as his legitimate master ? Let them speak sincerely, for themselves, in their own native land, and they must tell you that at the sight of the white man, they feel a sensation of awe inclining them to reverence and obey. This is the unperverted affection of nature. Beyond this, how small their affection,—limited almost to the immediate sur¬ roundings of life ; an impulse of the moment. Separate from husband and children, lost to sight, with other friends as dear, the remembrance of those children and the husband, from all appearances, seem to pass over the mind of the African mother like a vapory cloud across the blue sky. And if THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN SLAVERY. 29 her thoughts revolve in gloomier mood, and sorrows gather on her brow, they move away so gently, they seem like vague shadows stolen from the rugged shores of oblivion—shadows resting on her brow for a moment, by the inspiration of some spirit angel of love that had wept over the darkness of her mind and the coldness of her heart! Does sweet affection reign here, in this clouded soul ? Is not this a cold affection ? Indeed you are now moving among the shadows of a cold affection. You are moving in a damp, dismal valley, with dwarfy, leafless shrubs—with here and there a tall dead tree inhabited by the owl. The proud lion has deserted the gloomy vale, to beasts of lesser prey. Serpents, vultures, and hyenas, dwell in those thicks, and among those jagged rocks, that bend over those marshy ponds. The shades of evening begin to creep along your dismal course, like crawling serpents. Night sets in with all its horrors ! The hideous howl of the hyena is heard in the distance, and the muffled cry of the owl above seems the signal for the gathering together of evil spirits. The solemn tones of death tremble in low murmurs, around, above, below ! The heart is frozen with despair ! Is this the Yale, "Where the wind, full of wantonness, woos like a lover The young aspen-trees, till they tremble all over?" Is it the wild retreat, "Where the storms that we feel in this cold world would cease, And our hearts, like its waters, be mingled in peace ?" Was it here the happy Peri saw " A light more lovely far Than ever came from sun or star V Ah no. It is the dismal valley of a cold affection. Let the heart be lifted up from its shadows. Turn to a more pleasing, a more exalted scene, the noble forest, waving its broad foliage in lofty pride; the majestic river, " o'erhung with wild-woods thickening greenthe im¬ posing mountain, sublime in its own grandeur;—turn to the true affection, the undying love of woman. Observe again the fair daughter of that " humble man" as 30 THE PHILOSOPHY OP AFRICAN1 SLAVERY. she descends from the snow-" White Mountain" of Fame, and becomes an angel of lpve dispensing the blessings of charity to the poor and the distressed; not the poor and dis¬ tressed around the hearthstone of her father—he had no hearthstone. His home was hid. from the world's gaze. Yet he had a home, a treasure. The world did not bestow it, and what if the multitude knew not of his wild retreat, as they saw his humble form moving slowly along " the hawthorn- scented way ?" Those blessings of charity were dispensed to the poor and distressed along the lowly paths of life. Sweet American girl! A noble youth of the Old "World had seen her on the Summit of Fame, and is now here to be¬ hold her beauty in the charms of her person. Having lived with the muses among the romantic hills of his native land, and possessing ardent affections, with deep sentiments of phi¬ lanthropy, no wonder the first impressions of mutual love made upon their first interview—strong and pervading as an electric shock—led them on to a constant communion for twelve halcyon months! " 'Tis not the coarser tie of law, Unnatural, oft, and foreign to the mind, That binds their peace. But Harmony itself, Attuning all their passions into love." The noble youth is won from the endeared scenes of his child¬ hood, and from the stately splendors of his home in the East. True love is omnipotent—God is love. Yes, its magic power has won his affections from the regal palaces, the sublime towers, and sequestered forests of his own native land. It is a deep affection that determines him to build his new home in the land of Washington. He possesses the love of the sweet American girl, but can he possess her hand, and be happy, and an only relative beyond the murmuring sea?—A lovely brother, of tender years, left to his charge and to his love, with invocations of blessings, by a dying mother ? There is a bliss that seems too sacred to be enjoyed, in advance of removing all sorrows from the heart! It need not be told that she loved him with woman's truest. THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN SLAVERY. 31 | most devoted love. He could not risk so dear a treasure to j the uncertain waves of the sea. 0 ! is there not a divinity in the fortitude of woman ? She consents to the noble voyage of her lover, as the tears of joy fill her eyes at the thought of the sweet sacrifice she is making to the cause of brothfrly love. What a holy faith is hers! We love the handsome, noble youth, for his manly virtues, and more dearly because his spirit is blended with hers, the daughter of Fame, the angel of Charity ! She, the friend of the forsaken, is now to be forsaken for a while, herself, in a cause so kind and so true. The heart grows weary with the grief that hangs upon the parting hour, yet is loth to be relieved of the strange sorrow. We would not linger too long at the parting of true love. The moment has come !—The proud ship bears the noble youth slowly from the shore. She speaks not, but she is in tears ! Cold indeed must be the heart of the beholder, not to shed a tear, as she wipes away the burning heart-drops from her brow, and with a cheerful look, murmurs to herself, " He will come again !" The lone beach, lonely to her, mourns with the echoes of ocean's solemn roar; solemn to her, deeply solemn, though mingled with the whisperings of hope. Did she know that j he would come again ? Ah, she weeps! The heart must weep: there is a rapturous sweetness in tears.— " But bitter indeed is the sorrow that flows, J If perchance she is saying farewell forever !" In every moment of existence, is there not some noble spirit thrown into a mighty whirlpool of agitated thought, that j marks for once the one great intensified epoch of individual life, to which the spirit turns as the day-star of hope, or the vortex of despair ? It may be that half the romance of real life has never been told. Three weary months have rolled by, and the moonlight hour is joyful to greet her lover's return—and she is on the beach ; but her lover's ship appears not. It is on, or in the sea, she knows not! W^here is the noble youth, and what is his fate ? Dark clouds hurriedly wrap the sky in gloom, and Earthy 32 TIIE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN" SLAVERY. quake mutters below, as if to deepen the sadness of the hour! Strange shadows gather in her eye, i As boils the gloom from pole to pole ,- They cloud a more celestial sky, The calmer heaven of her soul! Ah! what cares she for gloomy sky, Or Earthquake's murmurs deep below ? Her bosom heaves a solemn sigh That blends alone with Ocean's roar! Days, months, years pass away, and eternal silence broods over her heavy hopes fixed upon the mournful sea ! Sad fate is this to the girl that graces the Summit of Fame. Her mind is diseased with despair, but her fame is an enduring monument to her name. Her Reason is dethroned, yet her love, like " The needle that points faithfully o'er the dim sea," remains, steadfast forever ! " Hark! the wild maniac sings, to chide the gale That wafts so slow her lover's distant sail; | She, sad spectatress, on the wintry shore, ' "Watched the rude surge his shroudless corse that bore, j Knew the pale form, and shrieked in amaze, | Clasped her cold hands, and fixed her maddening gaze : 1 Poor widowed girl, 'twas there she wept in vain, Till memory fled her agonizing brain ; But Mercy gave, to charm the sense of woe, Ideal peace, that Truth could ne'er bestow ; "Warm on her heart the joys of fancy beam, And aimless Hope delights her darkest dream. Oft when yon moon has climbed the midnight sky. And the lone sea-bird wakes its wildest cry, Piled on the steep, her blazing faggots burn To hail the bark that never can return ; And still she waits, but scarce forbears to weep That constant love can linger on the deep!" folly of colonization. From the foregoing illustrations it will be seen that the two great essentials to Progressive civil government, intelli¬ gence and afefction, belong pre-eminently to the whites, and are most irretrievably deficient in the blacks. tiie philosophy of african' slavery. S3 . The legitimate deductions that follow, render it clear, that jj even those marked exceptions in favor of the African mind I are not entitled to special Colonization. Why place this gal¬ axy of bright particular stars in the moral heavens of Colo¬ nization Kingdom, there to flicker with uncertain light over their degenerate sons, to be left to grope in African darkness when these stars shall be obscured by the pall of death ? Rather let them afford new accessions to the Civil Firmament of Ohio, there to mingle with the intenser lights, shedding a decreasing glory% until the unhallowed influence shall win to the noble state the last son and daughter of the sable race. If this be thought too partial toward Ohio, let all the free States share the honor of elevating the " oppressed colored people," by devoting their wealth to this benevolent purpose, instead of expending it for war,—extending to their co-equals, in the right to civil liberty, equal educational and religious privileges ; offering them "proper incentives" to civil aspira¬ tion; and not abandon the dear brethren to Ihe hazards of Colonization. The South would concede to the North all the glory that it would deserve for engaging in the noble enter- j prise ! but would respectfully decline detracting from her j wisdom before posterity, by participating in an undertaking j so irrational. ( slavery in the light of physiological science. That the negro is unsuited to civil government is demon¬ strated by his conduct viewed in the light of all past history; and his failures in civil achievements are traceable directly to intellectual defection in the peculiar conformation of his mind, discoverable in the strong light of physiological science. All practical and theoretical tests have been applied, inva¬ riably resulting in a demonstration of his want of native in¬ tellect, valor, and moral capacity. He is wanting in intelli¬ gence to devise, goodness to administer, and valor to defend progressive civil government. These marked defects, in connection with the peculiar submissive features of his mind, characterize the negro as the slave in the family of man. He j 34 THE PHILOSOPHY OP AFRICAN SLAVERY. sustains to the civil affairs of life, substantially the same rela¬ tion that labor does; and no doubt fully discharges his obli¬ gations to the human family in the cultivation of tropical products, and the performance of other menial service for the whites. The mind of the higher species of intelligences is pre-emi¬ nently progressive, tending to a high, noble destiny. On the other hand, we see that from incapacity, the negro is compar¬ atively destitute of this progressive, elevating power. Add to this his adaptation to tropical labor, and menial service, which enervate the mental" powers and hinder the advance¬ ment of those minds with capacity to expand in the wisdom that qualifies to rule in civil government and direct in the moral and social spheres, and the enslavement of the African is unerringly determined. It justifies his enslavement, not only in kindness to the negro, in his defenseless condition, but in furtherance of the advancement of this higher pro¬ gressive mind. This higher progressive mind would advance, of course, independently of slave labor. And although in the main, it might not progress with the same speed without this auxiliary, yet it would still advance so rapidly that it would leave the negro in decided degradation, even though the same law of progression, in some degree, characterize his race. It must then be evident that his successful elevation to civil authority is inherently hopeless. Ilis progressive qualities being so limited, can only elevate the negro to a higher state of slavery, suited to the higher social position of the master in his progression towards perfection. Viewed in this physiologico-civil light, it can be better understood why African slavery is " one of the most potent i agents in the advancement of civilization." i LABOR IS DIGNIFIED. ! Let it not be presumptuously charged that this humble position assigned the negro by nature, is a dishonorable one. Nor that it is to him one of humiliation. He no doubt feels the dignity of his true position, and a great pride in the man- THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN SLAVERY. 35 ifest practical blessings his labor bestows upon himself and upon society in general. Labor is dignified ; and none the less so when nature makes it compulsory. should not woman be favored ? In connection with the above view of the subject, it may I be observed that African slavery seems to be designed, in part, to facilitate general human progress in relieving, to some extent, the Ladies from menial service. No candid ob¬ server can fail to perceive the reasonableness of this infer¬ ence from the truths established. Woman's moral influence upon the affairs of civil government, though indirect, has almost uniformly been of a pacific, meliorating character; and this in proportion to her intelligence and moral worth; I and her pre-eminence in these respects depends greatly upon the character and thoroughness of her education, which, of course, is not favored by the imposition upon her of the whole drudgeries of domestic life. She may, and indeed should direct and assist in the affairs of the domestic government; but not to the neglect of her mind, and that of her children. If the whole cares and duties of the household are forced upon her by misfortue or other means, the more important I duties of life must be left unperformed. The hardy constitu- ' tion of the negro is suited to this drudgery ; and he fitly comes in to relieve the fair daughters of earth from the most onerous of these burdens,—each blessed by the beneficent arrangement. It cannot be justly said in reply, that Northern ladies are in advance of Southern ladies in point of intelligence, and therefore this argument at least is an imaginary theory ; for mind you, the answer to have any force, as before stated, must refer to mind in general, not to a certain clas'^ of mind. ! Whether the North is in advance of the South in solid litera¬ ture and true refinement, is not conceded; but if the laurel should be accredited to the North in any branch of the fine j arts, it would certainly be upon higher grounds than exemp- ! tion from African slavery. If the North has advanced in the | 30 THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN" SLAVERY. J arts and sciences, it has also been aggrieved by the lamenta' ble degradation of thousa7ids of honest white men i behold your little girl in her glee, and ponder over the cruel j ; fates of life! Imagine her in the same condition of the i little orphan in your service, her bright sky obscured by the j dark clouds of the future, and say if she would not deserve ! such wages as would lead her on to competency and inde- j pcndence. Ah, sir, if you are not moved to tears by the | thought, be moved to do justice. J appeal to white menial servants. In view of these powerful truths the writer most affection¬ ately appeals especially to the pride of the white menial ser¬ vants of the North, where they are more nearly enslaved, lie would urge them in a spirit of brotherly love to struggle for the joys of independence. j If the fates are set in against you strongly, struggle the more bravely. Demand higher wages from your austere masters. You deserve more for waiting on those whose mis¬ directed philanthropy and scanty allowance for your service, keep you bound down to the low position of menials in their household. Strike for justice. Strike for liberty. Strike for the liberty of your children. Shall your children too be slaves after you ? Listen not to the syren songs of your op¬ pressors. Some of them doubtless will even endeavor to sup¬ press the circulation of this Message of Love among you, as an intermeddler with their domestic affairs. They may presume to tell you it is not a message of love to you; that it does not arise from good will to you. If they do, mind that you be not deceived into ingratitude to the pure motives alone that could prompt an appeal so disinterested. Be not deceived. Demand the full measure of your rights. Let no threats deter you. The true spirit that dares to do in a vir¬ tuous cause, will triumph. Talk of these'things among your¬ selves; reflect over them ; speak of them as matters dear to j you, and to your children ; meet together and deliberate upon i 88 THE rillLOSOPHY OF AFRICAN SLAY-EEY. I and vindicate jour rights. Demand such wages as shall 1 lead you on to competency and independence. Reflect, consider well the causes that bind you in menial servitude. Labor is honorable. The noblest man or woman may be a child of poverty. Not a word is uttered against labor. But is there not just cause for complaint against a system that , makes the rich, richer, and the poor, poorer ? Permit me to persuade you as I would a brother or a sister, to cultivate a spirit of fortitude, with the spirit of independence, and a love of virtue ; and be bold, ever bold and constant in claiming an equitable distribution of the rewards of labor. J what is it tiiat threatens disunion ? Pride and luxury; fostered by the unequal distribution of the just rewards of labor among the rulers and the ruled. This inequality exerts a prodigious influence in establish¬ ing unjust distinctions and conditions, resulting in personal, social, and national grievances and oppressions, i Distinctions, it is true, fciust ever exist, to some extent, but should they not be tempered as much as possible with mode¬ ration? " The poor ye have always with you," but is that a reason why they should be oppressed ? I Let the rulers of the nation and of the States, and those who lead in society, have the charity to claim less, and allow more of what sustains life and imparts comfort, to the tillers I of the soil, the mechanics, the teachers, and the common laborers. Let equal justice hold its gentle sway. Un- ' j der such a reign, the true republican, democratic principle I would be nobly vindicated by the bright homes, prosperity, 1 l peace and happiness of all the worthy citizens of the Bepub- ! lie. If distinctions must exist, let us nevertheless discourage ! i that wanton disparity which is too generally fostered in favor ! j of office and p&feition, to the degradation of the common citi- 1 I zen. This is the worst slavery, to be held down to menial | servitude by the unjust laws and customs of ones country. ; These reflections are foot put forth for a vain display, but as , sentiments of the deepest concern to the body politic. They the philosophy op african slavery. 39 5 are not addressed to the passions of men to create a foolish ] sensation with a view of getting up a mad excitement. We ! already have too much of the inflammatory in the numerous | J political effusions of the day. It is hoped that the affection- | I ate appeals that come from the humbler walks of life will not j j augment, but subdue the flame of discord. As an aspirant i | for the imperishable honors of a virtuous and well spent life, I I would not willingly provoke one hostile feeling, but would , rather speak " the words of soberness and truth" to repress , the impulse of strife, and conciliate the people in the bonds j of peace! If then any one shall be disposed to become offended on account of the attack made upon the interest of Error and Disunion, in high places, forbear a personal application, and j consider yourself a victim of an evil education, and not cen- i sured so much individually, as the circumstances that have ! forced your unkind position. Be assured that I would rather j have your co-operation in mollifying those circumstances in j the interest of the poor; than your unfriendly opposition ; j but at the same time would prefer to share your bitterest de¬ nunciations for promulgating the truth,- than to enjoy your I approving smiles won by its concealment. The President, as the representative of the people of the > United States of America, holding the eminent position he does in his national and international relations, is justly en¬ titled to the salary awarded to his high station by the law and custom of the country; but that offices of less promi¬ nence and absolute responsibility in the various branches of • the government, with other high positions in society, are gen- , erally supported by rewards based upon the equitable law of Labor, is an assumption of our law makers which is denied in behalf of the common people. The common laborer, with a family to support, receives for his labor from thirty to fifty dollars per month; whilst the Congressman receives about five hundred dollars per month for his services at Wash¬ ington ; not counting the intervals between the sessio'ns, be¬ cause during this time, he has opportunities and sources for 40 the rmi.osorHY of aruicaisr slavery,. increasing hia property above that of the common laborer. Is not this disparity too great ? Would not a true philanthro- [ pist be willing to serve his country in the Congress of the | United States, for the sum of two hundred and fifty dol¬ lars a month, and allow the common laborer, eighty, and the mechanic, one hundred and fifty ? ( Those in power generally urge presumptuous pleas in favor i of themselves, such as enormous expenses incident to office, ol* position, the necessity for dignity of appearance, and the authority of distinction; and above all, the policy of munifi¬ cent rewards for the encouragement of true merit. The apol- , ogy does not rise to the dignity of plausibility, for it is mani- 1 festly self-condemnatory. Worth seeks not vanity, luxury, 1 and inglorious ease, but becoming pride, competence, peace | and honor, with the good of others connected with that honor | in social welfare. Human happiness is the grand object of government. It is therefore a beautiful science, attracting the highest powers and affections of the philanthropist. He would gladly imitate by his laws, the wonderful harmony that , breathes an eternal anthem of joy throughout the sublime ' expanse of illimitable space. Will not some great spirit in J the council of the nation have the magnanimity to agitate this great question, and help to check the increasing pride j and luxury of our rulers, and turn their minds from dwelling almost to distraction upon the imaginary evils of slavery 1 j Great stress is laid upon the removal of these unjust ine- 1 qualities, because wealth is power; and exclusive wealth in j the hands of the ambitious and despotic is dangerous to the 1 Republic. The madly ambitious have ever sought self-aggran¬ dizement, reckless of human life and heedless of the cries of the oppressed. They seize the splendors of wealth with the most impulsive avidity, coloring their authority with the tinsel of gold to allure the rich, and win the admiration of the delu- | ded sons of poverty. The writer purposely desires to dwell ' on this great evil in order to make the warning distinct. Let reformation begin at the fountain head of the government, among the representatives of the people. Here example THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICA X fvLAVEltY. 41 would exert a most meliorating influence extending through¬ out the whole body politic. "Pride goes before a fall." Are I our rulers deaf to the voice of patriotism ? Do thej not af- j fectionately regard the cries of the distressed, and tenderly | sympathize with the simple joys and gentle hopes of humble life I Would that I could urge this appeal in tones of a hun¬ dred loud thunders, to arouse the pride of patriotism among J the xulers of the nation ! Then they might pause, to listen to the voice of humanity. And hearing this voice, they might be exalted to a noble destiny : Here they would behold the spirit of Washington still living in the Constitution of his j country. Inspired by his spirit, they would be persuaded to love justice, equality and liberty, the Union of our fathers. Then the peace of the country would not be dis¬ turbed by Platforms for spoils, but blessed with tranquility, and Platforms of principle. This digression from the subject of slavery in the light of physiology, seems to have been forced by an irresistible train of thought, and it shall not be withdrawn. If the would-be-autocrats of the land should not fancy it, the author will not be surprised, nor in the least discomposed. The evident tendency of our ship of state is towards the whirlpool of pride and luxury. In this whirlpool lie the most dangerous breakers. Who is so base as to desire the shjp of state to drift upon those breakers and be wrecked, for the sake of hoisting a tarnished flag to float ingloriously over some of the "broken fragments ?" If there be any such, it is hoped his love of enduring fame will inspire him to draw back from the gloomy thought! Let the lovers of liberty cherish the love of true equality. What if error in high places shall thunder its anathemas against you ? "Thy spirit, independence, let me share, Nor heed the storm that howls along the sky." The truth should be told without flattery. Liberty is too dear to be jeopardized by the false colors of the enemy. The question of slavery is but ci side issue} ci pretext, in the wctv- <; 42 THE PHILOSOPHY OP AFRICAN SLAYERY. fare that threatens our Union and our liberty. Let the truth be known. The philanthropy of the North is very little concerned about the supposed oppressions of the Southern slave. It is love of the country for its spoils, more than true patriotism, love for the welfare of the people, that fires the ambition of many of our rulers. Let the sad truth be repeat¬ ed, again and again, and enforced with earnestness and power, on every hill and in every valley, and in every city, town, and hamlet in the United States, until the foul tide of disunion shall be stayed. Let good will towards men everywhere prompt the good and true to action, and the powers of despot¬ ism shall be vanquished. What if the frowns of the haughty be incurred by the peaceable advocacy of justice and truth ? Their smiles may seem pleasant and kind at first, like the " wine when it moveth in the cupbut like the wine if in¬ dulged too much, they " sting like a serpent." Let us have the goodness and independence to cultivate the love of country, in a love of one another as a united people. Is it not joyful to exercise the feelings, and to act out the precepts of genu¬ ine philanthropy ? Those who seek notoriety by attempting to exalt themselves upon the ruin of others, even to the under¬ mining of the Temple of Liberty, occupy no enviable position, however flattering their prospects. Blighted hopes will darken the end of their mad career, whilst their friends and followers shall be dismayed by the deep sorrows that supervene. As a citizen of the United States of America, proud of my country, I would rather be patriotic than popular. NATURE VINDICATED. Viewed in the foregoing light, (of physiology) the benefi¬ cence of African slavery appears, to attract the world's ad¬ miration, and not its cruelty, to provoke the world's scorn. The harmony of nature is discerned. Heaven is vindicated. The world will yet learn not to impeach the wisdom of God for the frailties and weaknesses of man, and the incompre¬ hensibility of nature. 0 1 there is an overwhelming rapture in contemplating the sublime mysteries of the universe. Who I TIIE PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN SLAVERY. 43 would Lave them all unveiled forever and forever to one mo- 1 ! notonous view ? j Heaven is tlie glowing Panorama of the Universe, slowly, I j sweetly unfolding to the view of the immortal spirit! | Let us not presume to murmur at the works of the Creator. | I To the colored man most especially applies the sentiment: i "Condition, circumstance, is not the thing, Bliss is the same in subject or in king." The world is becoming convinced of the humanity of Afri¬ can slavery. A great battle for the liberty of the negro will never be fought. The wisdom of nations will not permit so humiliating, and inhumane a warfare. Even in the cause of humanity, is it not lamentable that liberty sometimes has to pass through the fiery furnace of war, to be burnished with glory ? southern honor must be vindicated. j African slavery has not sprung from accident; nor does its perpetuity depend upon the unwise schemes of its enemies. It is not upheld by cotton alone, but grows inherently in the constitution of the negro, and can only be limited by his ex¬ tinction. It is founded in the strictest humanity. Nothing less than the recognition of this broad contra-jyer se doctrine will satisfy the honor of the South, and give repose to the institution. Our history proves that as a people, the South is not want¬ ing in sagacity to discern, talent and power to defend, and genius to adorn her rights. And as long as justice is enti¬ tled to the Throne, and valor remains the talisman upon the breast of honor, we shall continue to wage reason's war- | fare against abolitionism in all its chameleon forms. ! In early youth, the writer was persuaded that African sla¬ very was wrong in principle, and from sympathy to the slave has been prompted to give the subject an earnest considera¬ tion ; and with the strongest prejudices against the institu¬ tion, the investigation made under direct observation of its practical operations, has resulted in a firm conviction of its 44 THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFIJICAX SLAVERY. _ 1 — justice and humanity. No less conviction would have induced him to assail " Cotton is King." And it is hoped the criti¬ cism may not be regretted as tending somewhat to affect the character of the books with which the work is published. One of the designs of the review is to relieve, as much as .... I possible, the books with which it is connected, from the shad¬ ows of Cotton is King. i There is something in a name.—Whatever merit may be¬ long to "Pro-slavery Arguments/' should not be neutral¬ ized among the masses, by the overshadowing name of Cot- | ton is King. The writer most cheerfully attributes the greatest charity to the motives of its author, while he claims for himself an ' earnest, patriotic desire for the peace and general welfare of tlie country, in this vindication of Southern honor, and South¬ ern magnanimity. | moral view of the union—conclusion. Citizens of the American Republic, rise above the wiles of fanatic warfare, to a high stand point of view in the Moral World! Look around, above, below, and view the " Won- ! drous Whole," and with thoughts as elevated as your posi- ! tion, "look through Nature up to Nature's god," and point out, if you can, a broken link in the chain that binds the African in the bonds of protection. Surrounded with beauties yet untold, prejudices all gone, leaving the mind, like the sun, unobscured by the mists that fled at his coming, with heavenly strains breaking forth from the eternal depths of Infinitude, in one universal song of praise, tell me, if in such an inspired hour as this, you love the excitement of that fanaticism which presumptuously seeks to 1 mar the harmony of "Heaven's first law," to deliver up to anarchy and bloody ruin, the noblest nation of the world ? No! is the response that fills the earth with the music of the sound ; and No! is the echo that blends with the symphony of the rolling spheres. The plaintive cries of Mercy, and the swelling voice of Hope, are heard, rising in thunder-tones, THE PHILOSOPHY OF AFMCAX SLAVERY. 45 | from cliff, and vale, and solemn ocean, to drown the crash of the Union's fall. Shall it fall against the remonstrance of Reason, amidst the lamentations of Mercy ? Let it fall thus if you will. Future generations in gathering up " the broken and dishonored fragments of the once glorious Union," would shed the bitterest tears at the thought that its glory went down in gloom, with the smile of humanity lingering in its last flick, ering ray, while the mad star of abolitionism hung low in the frowning sky, mocking tho sad hour of expiring liberty. Go with me, in dark imagination, among those dishonored fragments, when death shall have laid our proud bodies in the dust. Here we are in the midst of the ruins, our spirits weeping at the doleful legacy left to our children ! The spoils of office, and ephemeral glory, all past away, only their sad remembrance remains, to reproach the spirit, and imbitter the woful contemplation. Ah ! what a melancholy picture is this, we shudder to behold! My children, and your children, see them, in the midst of anarchy, darkened by the insolence of the once protected slave. Mark their indolence, in seeking the means of subsistence without industry, scarred with burn¬ ing execrations. Mark their turbulence, in seeking equal civil and marriage-rights, repulsed in streams of blood! The Union, in ruins, and oh, upon their claim of equality! Behold the thronging multitudes of African emigrants from Colonization Kingdom, waving in angry clouds along the western and southern coasts. They come, darkening the heavens; the clouds hang over us—they are upon us with all their fury. And is this the boon we lost our lives to bequeath to our children ? Ah, we thought to give them the promised land, to enjoy it alone to themselves, in peace. But ive ad¬ mitted the blacks to the rights of civil liberty, and the Jaws against their return unto this goodly land, are inconsistent with the corresponding right to choose the theatre of their action. These laws against their return hither, we now see, are subject to a higher law. They come seeking homes among these ruins, rendered sacred and dear to them by a thousand recollections of childhood, of youth, and of the joys of other 4G THE PHILOSOPHY OP AFRICAN" SLAVERY. days. They find not the joys they seek. Havoc and ruin on all sides attest that Anarchy reigns, and they mingle in the strife! The whole continent,seems to tremble at the shock. No wonder we turn pale. Despair falls back with a shudder! The dismal clouds tend low, dripping our chil¬ dren's blood! Away, away, from the sight. 1 The Government of the United States of America is bound I by a bond too holy, ever to fall for a cause so unjust. The remembrance of ancestral virtues, and ancestral valor, will inspire a more grateful and fraternal devotion to the Union of our fathers. As a people we are indeed one broth¬ erhood, bound together by the strong, tender ties of kin¬ dred, and a common affectionate pride, inspired by the emu¬ lous admiration of the proud nations of earth. Our honor and our happiness are united in the bond of Humanity. Are we not dependent one upon another, in all the varied relations of social life ? And shall we grievously mar the holy recip¬ rocity of our national ancj domestic happiness ? Destroy the amity of brotherly love? Prostrate our dignity? Wither the cherished flowers of Hope ? " He is an American cit¬ izen/' pronounced on land or sea, in every clime, is a magic sound. Shall that name ever be spoken with less of the in¬ spiration of liberty ? Shall our national honor, now shining like the sun, brightly, gloriously, defiantly, above the light¬ nings of a jealous world, be lowered to their destructive blasts, by a division of the power that now supports that honor so nobly, and so triumphantly ? I humbly trust not. Shall our moment of existence prove a curso to the world, and pass away as a feverish impulse of passion ? Or shall it be an impress of love, adorned with the flowers of peace ? Is there not a sweet joy in brotherly concord and affection ? The proudest monarch in the world may seek in vain to derive happiness from a higher source than National Union and brotherly love ! Here let us seek the fame that is blended with the widow's tear and the orphan's smile ! An endearing x © fame, that survives the coldness of the tomb,—lives forever enshrined in the hearts of the good and the true. Would you TUB PHILOSOPHY OF AFRICAN SLAVERY. 4-7 i not proudly aspire to such an immortality ? Will you not be J inspired to seek so lovely and unperishable a fame, by your I tender love for your children, and a noble love' fraternal ? By the love of peace and progress ; by the sentiments of gratitude; by the last affectionate invocation of Washington; by our hatred of despotism; by our national pride, rising above devotion to vested crowns, let us be persuaded to re¬ nounce self-aggrandizement, love to do justly, and without haughtiness and vanity, bring a pure love as our offering at the Shrine of Liberty. Let us be persuaded to march together as a great and happy people, to the Mecca of Patriotism— not to destroy, but to build up anew the holy shrine; not to dissolve, but to strengthen the Union by our sacred devotions. Let us be kindly persuaded, by every endearing consideration, to preserve our Union in its pristine virtues, to cherish it in its expanding power, and to love it forever in its increasing glory.