Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-04-25 00:00:00

YOUNG AMERICA ON
SLAVERY.

(After reading Thos. Colley Grattan's "Civil/sec/A moriea.")

NUMBER TWENTY-ONE.

The abolition Filibusters showed wonderful energy
—vigour—firmness of purpose. Buxton's maxim
was that man must not mistake difficulties for impos-
sibilities. Such steadfastness of purpose were worthy
of better results. They were men of weight and
measure.
• They were prophets, and honoured even in their
own country. They let their lights so shine before
the British people as to darken everything American.
"The lowest of the virtues attract the vulgar mass,
—the middle ones they admire,—of the highest they
have no conception."
The 'abolitionists appealed to the lower state of the
people—and, coming so closely upon the heels of the
Reform Bill, they succeeded.
Ireland was forgotten—she was too near home—
besides, her people were white. " Oh," said O'Con-
nell on Irish wrong's, "I wish we were black !" What
a commentary on the state of feeling then existing—
.that a British member of Parliament—even in jest
—should wish himself a negro—in order to get the
same attention that the negroes received !
" Handy Andy's" nzotircs were good—but his
actions were decidedly bad.
Brother Jonathan has inherited from his Abolition
Father, the stain of negro slavery. What will he do
with it ? Miss Murray, writing from Boston (page
48), says:—" Cl/wise/an ity will, and must subdue it ; not
by teaching us to villlify and persecute those less for-
tunate of our brethren who have had the curse of
human possessions entailed upon them, but by
enlightening the darkened, and instructing the
.ignorant."
_ _

Christian slavery is more exalted than barbarian
freedom. For proof of this, compare the death-bed
of King Gezo, in Negroland, with the black children
of the slave states. Barbarism preceeds civilisation,—
mythology comes before theology— superstition before
religion—ideal before the real—natural before
spiritual; the superior follows the inferior through-
out history—so freedom must succeed slavery,
association succeeds progression, and development
follows association. Creation is a study. Man is
linked with everything in the animal, mineral, and
vegetable world. - The grain of corn is planted in the
spring, it progresses, it associates, it developes. Man
eats it in the morning—night it becomes a part of
the blood, the flesh, and the bone, and the next day
a portion of the brain. —perchance a human thought
working out some patent reaping machine. The world
is worked on a wonderful system. The Creator
made the negro as well as his master, and in making
him he gave him bodily strength, to make up for his
mental weakness.
The old kings and patriarchs of the Bible were bad
men. In our day such crimes would have sent them
to the gallows. Madame Tussaud would have had
them all in the chamber of horrors. Their bondsmen
did not fare as well as our slaves. Good comes out of
evil. Astrology prepared the road for astronomy—
alchemy preceded chemistry soothsaying foresha-
dowed prophecy—and priestly traditions came before
the wonderful realities of modern science.
Where there is now land all was once water—and
where there is now water all will some time become
land. Time is the leveller. Time will emancipate the
negro. The Almighty's ways are all his own.
Corn and flowers may yet grow abundantly on the
African desert. The gospel of Jesus will yet christian-
ise the heathen. The lion and the lamb some day will
lie down together. Electricity will perhaps conduct
the locomotive at two hundred miles the hour, as
easily as it now sends messages as many thousands
at a flash. Some invention will yet be made for this
mysterious agency. Lightening may yet conduct away
all disease from the home of man. The air itself
may be controlled with as much facility— as the
navigator sails his ship upon the waters. Time is
the greatest inventor.
Four millions of slaves must not be set free in a
month.
There are seven ages in nature as in man. " All
the world is a stage.' The anti-Slavery sentiment
grew from the " puking babe" to the second child-
hood in less than a generation. The idea was grand
and noble.

Fashion is all-powerful. Custom is a tyrant.
Christianity was as pure as a mountain lake—clear
as crystal at the fountain. Now, mark how polluted
have contending creeds and sectarian rancour made
the stream. The gilded church, the luxurious pew,
the gold-clasped bible, the flowing surplice of the
apostle, and the Pharasical prayer, are among the
worldly things thrown into corrupt its living waters.
That publican's simple appeal won for him at once
an audience.

. Custom can make a church ungodly, as well as
make one people dislike another people, because of
the bondage of still another people.
I owe you five shillings was once law—now four .
pages are required for a power of attorney.
Four pages of " administrations, executors, and
assigns." Four pages of the aforesaids and the
whereases—four pages of legal forms instead of five
simple words, before you can sell a ship, transfer
a house, or buy a farm.
Custom is all powerful—lawyers were paid by the
line, so two men, Wilberforce and Buxton intro-
duced the custom of depreciating white men, and
commending black men. Custom has organised a
'community of doctors.

• Rest, regularity, recreation, diet, exercise, pure
water, pure air, early hours, are nature's physicians.
-Ilygeria was the god of health, but custom has
planted in every street an apothecary shop—a drug
receptacle---resembling so many blisters on society,
ulcers on the social system. Esculapius was the god
of medicine. Hypocrates and Galen bowed before
1-Ptiracclsus with his horrible calomel. Then came,
forget the name, with his antimony. Harvey saw
the blood circulate ; Jener mitigated the smallpox ;
- but Hahneman introduced homcepathy, to the dismay
-of the pill-maker. Now Wilson holds the mirror up
to nature with his water cure. .
•

The clerical, the legal, and the medical professions
ore the crutches on which ignorant, discordant, and
diseased humanity hobbles through the world. Re-
move the first, there would be more religion ; remove
,the second, there would be less discord; remove the
third, and more people would live to a ripe old ape.
Three college-bred practictioners control the English-
man. The clergyman, the doctor, and the lawyer.
The one takes care of his soul, the other his body,
the last his purse. Yet, what could we dO without
them ?

'lf England means what she proposes, no better
time than now can offer to show some demonstration
beside proclamations.
If Lord Shaftesbury's party mean to try the feelinc,
of England, let Parliament be petitioned against the
importation of a single bale of slave grown cotton or
hogshead of slave-grown sugar, for a twelve month.
Charity begins at home.
. When the young man asked how he could enter
the Kingdom of Heaven, our Saviour. told him to
keep the commandments---" I have done this from my
youth upward." Thou art near the kingdom ; but, in
order to enter in, must soil thy estates—give to
the poor and follow me." When England follows
the advice, America will believe in her sincerity—not
before. When the Duchess of Sutherland gives
ovations to Mrs. H. B. Stowe, she is very near the
kingdom—but she must sell her estates, and then
purvhase emancipation at the market price.
Sinne three millions of the people of England get
what they shall eat, what they shall drink,
ad
where*ithall they shall be clothed from the product
of slavo-grown cotton. They are more interested in
the question than those who drink port, eat wood-
cocks, and dine in palaces. Let Palmerston call a
monster meeting of these operatives, and put the
question, "All in favour of • emancipation and
no cotton—say aye ?" I?eep silence reig A
nsAll_"
for cotton, and no emancipation?"
The response would shake the empire.
When England will show how she can exist with-
out slave-grown cotton and slave-grown sugar, she
Will prove the consistency of her course.
Writing on Mr. Buxton's motion, February 22,
regarding West India immigration, the Times says :
"Europe must have sugar, and has shown plainly
enough that if Jamaica cannot produce it, Cuba may.
If Cuba secures the privilege, not only slavery, but
the slave trade itself continues to flourish. If