The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-09 00:00:00

BZ4TrBRY-JVHAT IS SLAVERY ?

1. TO TB,.
t\InEDITOR OF THE NoIITHERN TIMES.
S 111 1
Rta,e and last communication I was treating upon a
ad Important subject—religion; and I endea-
eso as far as I was able, to chew how abuses will even
'ettiet*
Need 'eses into the church, which is deeply to be
5,,„1" Which too often arises from the inability or
il'est7telless of her champions. Let us look further into
ase? and disabuse ourselves of false impressions,
l'ssiteS.l.4l if it be possible, how and where the evil
e'at And first, we will turn to the heart of the
''eN
e'arkl.eurvey it in its most interesting aspect—its
,
't(),lPittl the sin which besets him. It is a noble
as`e °no who is advanced so far in the practice of
lea to be almost beyond the temptations of sin ;
ealatlemeoo see him stand as it were, in full.o-be 1
...
i,ellaae,king bri in the lustre f grey.haired
aao fruitso whichght Divine grace enables him to
itPeaalle painful effort of many yeers. But the
NathatitTels good man could furnish us with a nobler
a seas. We might find it, perhaps, some fifty years
Vahan" time of his youth, surrounded with the tears
elies"it p ,eke hour ee, and the energies of sanctified resolve.
of battle, when he fought for immortal
Wand fi 5 then he waged the severest warfare with the Oall
ktaber Y determined that he would give himself to
4LN fat for ever. In the career of man towards an
Oky h nre, whatever heights of happiness and honour
qameetireafter climb, there is nothing which can match
leseaarawith that simple but sincere resolve which lee
ta7;:enes the paths of sin, and consecrate his heart
aco of his Creator. Let us look at the great
:11tlen"1.tiastance, as a holyy
heroic, example, and we cannot too
°f a man so truly and so truly excel-
ea pare the inheritors of his legacy, and wherever '
hallest, -air, eyes are filled with the magnificence of his
raltne audible sound of a thousand priating
4,1,t41eci ;,,eal to us what has been done; the many-
lis ;ice of freedom, rising above the billows of the
sitesle.d cheering on the chivalrous endeavours of the
il"'atiiii'‘ant climes; the deep hum which runs along
acturing valleys, blending with the roll of the
it'ss tel and the shrill shriek of the steam-engine,
koali tla great and good work both far and near.
ksellel sanctuaries, ris which catch our ear feom a
itateePen where, fearless of interference,
iasQiese4 grasp the open Bible, and worship as their
toqt ahe dictates the only living God. Then, assuredly,
tril;eo4,•,! these things tell us again what has been done,
0:1 or Tee Us in reality that such are the substantial
ea
Ik°ether's struggles—struggles which, in point of
Oht :oeur, transcend every other. The vanguard
alter ;aad darkness met in that dreary cell where
la' 441 as confined ; there the battle was fought and
aklle' orea hale eventsnt which have followed
triumphaldecorations
ersita;e been scattered by the hand of victory.
"I:,,Prtil7' in the next place, let us enquire how abuses,
'teak 0 look upon, really find their way into the
ka'llszs'ilrnY last pages I laid before your readers. in the
Vaal.% honest truth, that many dignitaries of our
tqats a, 444 other places of worship, receive large
thfcomparatively speaking, doing little or
,ektia enjoying themselves amidst the pleasures of
regarding their holy calling as a mere sinecure,
kt, this 'lnsentable indeed to reflect upon. But treating
itili.a,,,,,sabject, we must not omit to notice the poor
itit24 b in reality, does all the work, and let us draw an
altitee, etvieen the one and the other. How does he get on
llti,l,l4Ziti. of turmoil and trouble? Does he meet with
kiaal trna,tllY and due compensation which he is fully
'la aka; • What stipend does he receive for studious
Salletateans work performed ? Yes, sir, I may well ask
Vs/ fifl`cns, for in the whole category of slavery where
V! nd a greater slave than the poor hard-worked
greater eat, us then, occupy a short time and examine 1
his duties Suppose tor instance, he be a
.1 e„ _ • .
haaloggrate," and how multitudinous must indeed be
ste'se 0(.1 generally speaking, having to perform
.the
itlititasesranee church twice every day in the week, besides
ale' ell duties which he has to attend to, such as
eteeiklags, marriages, burials, and many more of equal
iekieeelei too numerous to mention. There are other
'fa'Sgean, we must not pass over—those whose services
eßed by many of our p mular preachers, and
t's is too frequently the case, they may not be
lt,;11cle: ascend the rostrum and preach as often as they
' Yet they are inevitably expected to read, never-
t'sa,slasaad not oly a
redanctuary,, as a matter of course, the
11104 ',l3rayers n
in the s but prayers also at
IV be 4lde of the sick, which in a large district they
ig 'ihtaeohed to must be onerous duties imposed upon
lie by theau esctren;e• and, moreover, as we know full 1
have other'onerous duties to perform—to visis,
tht,1144 the the poorer class of the congreg it,on that
the IP lab church to which they may belong. In truth,
ka,sesieetlrs are never ended, and they slave and toil for 1
I.4"e'n'srs' Pittance, which even a common mechanical
the evii;ottld refuse, as his hire, for works of his handl-
ilesi,aee at the same time, their dignified sup Tiers—
"ocnts—fall back into their easy ways of
4,l„atioinaN luxury, so little care they even ahni,it the
11:` to t."' souls, or the poor over-worked " extras ' who
tiaae endure all the drudgery. And what, forsooth, do
il'4lt, get for alt this never-ending work, in the shape of
au)! lucre," as they are ever and anon reminded they
consider
it
o ,dater almost sacrificng their helth del , Ministrationf sin the dwellingsi of the poor,a wherey
thtitile4lekilPss of the most contagious character is
te);(1, ri4ef a and running the great risk, as they unquestion.
0,,' carrying away the infection into the circles of
talilee atnilies. I ask again, what do they get for all
tl,lii4esant work? A mere paltry sum, as you know
`cp,tsii,r, is the case—pay, barely sufficient to keep
Yta Ai tu°iling" let alone to provide for the. necessary
40)144 heir wives and families, and all this too in the.
C4ttreht But here I will quote an illustration in I
Oa
3' hat I have asserted, which lam taking verbatim
thu,; °wo journal of the 19th ult. The paragraph
qsee"' under the heading of cheap curates—" a striking
t,LN. the unequal distribution of clerical loaves and
rests *aa just come before the Ross County Court. The
aptasee4 Hope 'Mansell, a small country parish in
"er'og:ees;lll.ire, appeared to' answer to a summons after
aitiet,":'r non payment of an account for groceries mid
4,e'tor-''' The rev. defendant begged the mercy of his
et;eitoit,with tears in his eyes, stating that he had a wife
sslar'sellildren to maintain with the limited stipend of
a,' et thannUm, and that he was really unable to do this,
stielloeneasanae time keep up a respectable appearance.
tl tee:' expressed his deep sympathy for the defend-
!aellr-taaß Position and ade an order for payment of
advisinz themrev. defaulter to avail himself
tietislahrection of an insolvent debtor." After:this true,
tieli andtatement what more need I say in relation
taasee „ldrudgery of the poor curate so confirmatory
Then can evil system as this ? I think it requires no
,hore"?lnnient ate the matter speaks for itself.
Vtlki One thing, however, we should not forget to
bb' and that is what the aerate has to undergo ere
to Pie
enlisted under the banners of the church. Few
dhili"? how the aspirant for academic honours has
ea'cra-7 and carefully initiated into all the school
aaie iS of the Anabasis, Herodotus, Hoar r. Horace,,
atithe (
with perhaps a small allowance of "conics
earl
,calculus." And if he is not fairly " up" in such
is kll and with due attention to all the college course
sstall:„l'ercalculate on a safe passage through the
Ode, eh-ase• College lectures, then, are no easy amuse-
Woe betide him should he not be prepared.
sat 're
t.aßain at the immense cost of taking a dezree ab
(ir
Cambridge ere the young student can take holy;
i 0 do in a manner with " quadrat/es, '
Paralellograms," and other hard things, before
Stalerloa-,3148, or perhaps years of fight, he can coin! off
'Naha"' and mount at the last, as he may do, the giddy
Itt 2eak_.
'teal let 7 here fame's proud temple shines afar,"
la
sisa-e ask, what do all these studious researcher;
's W after all, in a pecuniary point of view ? How
l e
cmi t l stored knowledge appreciated if the office of his
"R receives not a higher remuneration than the
is such
stipend of £BO a-year 1 Monstrous in the
Nll4 such a state of things. Yet, nevertheless, it
'IL-tOtiuticeded by every thoughtful mind that a young
fil'ietie-r;anquestionably receive a thorough well grounded
411'04 before he can embark in the divine mission, for
41410t1,8eacb deep learning. and decision of character in
Sla) elt "ere can be neither stability nor security. How
zyr, easing, hopeful, prornisine, well inclined young
14eNiRi''' have been altogether drawn aside from the ways
11,4 ee„n into the paths of sin, for want of maktng up
Lilse,"cf lids 011 the right side of the question ! A hesitating
Nseesegering character is sure to be marked by the
litiN➢-ad destroyer of men, and is almost sure to become
lie who is almost persuaded to be a Christian,
areatest danger of perishing for want of b.ei9g
'`a4rlisee:B°. At the time of Noah we may reason withidn
and reasonably also, conclude that many lingered
!Se auto ark' and looked at it, and resolved to ask aellnis-
,`laalis filet; but while they hesitated, the door was shut,
„111,,'Y h:(4 came and destroyed them all. Then it must
Ost lace apparent, that those who would secure the
t's taete; or religion, and partake its solid enjoyments,
Caenlrlg „t into it with all their heart and soul, and
ee -I°,, every duty will be found easy, and every
elak,e4Rhti
.-and, -moreover,. there will be real
104 f satisfaction of mind, in a conscious
that which is worth all the world, and
posse gat ,te World can neither give nor take away:
ia riving, nevertheless, is the sole condition o.t
4.4141 ths•Piritnal matters, as in worldly affairs. It is
ki ()lA, ing to fulfil our course, to solve liat's sublime
Olrtihalicerld reap its ripe cultured fruits. No man
thent:e braa.e/eelet he strive—the brilliant crowns that
ktl brow of conquerors, demand their price. Heaaen
'sho a-se e of refuge for the indolent, nor a resort for
too inefficient and shiftless to find a home
leae „ ,„'its rewards are reserved for hands that fairly
a'aes,'lsoe ad its treasures belong to those who violent y
b t hem. Though no man merits Heaven by
la a, man gains Heaven without labour—labour
sorbs.th th .
,se°t's,••.era will
whole being, and continues as long as life
hot, "II be time enough to rest when the struggle
118, 4as e there is no rest. Happy is he then who so
to win
itti
St eriaY'Uch
oh • Cristan readr, we hav no time to
.ofl lifeh hasi already,been
idlye wasted. and
oOtar • l'sTjeet s have usurped far too many of our
pa Pent re, it is time to awake out of sleep. The day
'11.4 and the night already casts its shadows upon
in which no more work will be done.