The Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1818-1824, 1820-05-16
BY THt. MAILS.
From the Boston Recorder.

Privileges II SldOes an Itrglnid!
A law was passed by the Legislature of Vir-
ginis, March 2, 1879, entitled, - an act, redu.
cling into one the several acts concerning slaves,
free negroes and mulattoes - it went into ope-
ration Jan. !, 1920. II snacts that T" all meet
ings or assembiages Of slaves, or free negroes,
mulattoes mixing or associating with such slaves
at any meeting house or houses, or any other
place places 10 the night, at any school or
schools for teaching them rea ling or writing.
either in the day nis ht, under whatsoever pre-
"a xt, shall be deemed and considered as an un-
lawful assemby''-and the offender or offenders
are liable to corporal punishment at the discre-
ton ofthe justice Of the county corporation,
not exceeding twenty lashes. Moreover, if any
white person, free negro, mulatto or Indian,
shall at any time he found in company with
slaves at any unlawful meeting, such person
being thereof convicted before justice Of the
peace, shall forfeit and pay three dollars for
every such offence TO the informer, recoverable
with cos.s-and in failure Of present payment
shall receive his or her bare back, twenty
lashes, nell iaid on. Further-every Justice of
the peace who shall know Of such unlawful
meeting, and shall fail to execute the law, shall
forfeit and pay eight dollars for every such fail
nre--and every sheriff or other officer convicted
of like failure, shall be subject to the same
penalty-the whole of which penalty shall 60 to
the inf0rmtr, and be recoverable with costs.
Our readers will observe that this is no obso-
late law-it is the result of the cool deliberations
Of our fellow citizens Of Virginia, in the en-
lghtened period of 1919!
Will not humanity blush Will not religion
weep? II is not enough that our weaker breth-
rem accor ing to the flesh doomed to perpet-
ual servitude-that AT the end Of the lash they
are compelled 10 sweat and toll for the augmen-
iation of our wealth and the aggrandizement of
our families, but they must be bound in the
stronger letters Of ignorance they may not be
permitted to read the word of life, nor may they
assemble TO hear II from the minister of God
they must urge on their way TO the bar Of their
final Judge, from Christian land, not only with
out the consultations of the gospel, but without
the privilege of those instructions that are equal
ly adapted to the Scythian and the barbarian, the
bond and the free
Such bolt on the honor of our country Is past all
patient endurance. Such stain on our Chris
tian character demands weeping and lamenta-
ton. Our sentiments Of piety toward the I'M
happy sufferers, blending with sentiments ofin-
dignation toward the unworthy authors of their
suferings, create tumult Of feeling within US.
that scarcely allows US TO think or write calmly
on the subject.
Miserable Virginia Does your safety lie in
the ignorance of your slaves Is il necessary to
shut heaven from their eyes and the Saviour
from their hearts, in order to preserve your houses
from tie flames and your fam lilies from the mas
sacre Is it necessary in defiance of divine
authority TO keep the gospel seyond their reach.
and bind them in triple chains of servitude TO
Satan, in order TO make them faithful TO lou ?
What must we then conclude-but that the SER
vice you require from them be best per-
formed, when they in the most complete sub
lection to the Prince of darkness ! Religion .
will spoil them To read the Bible, TO pray to !
God, to sing his praises, to enjoy a hope full Of
glory while in bondage-this will unfit them for |
the duties you expect from them-this will |
prompt them 10 spread death and destruction a.
round them Hest Indian Shareholders have
learned the truth better than all this. They
have learned by experience what a Virginia !
Legislature have not learned from the word of
God, viz that siarts are made better by re-
tigion, aud IN obedience TO this long resisted con-
viction, they use every means To place their me-
groes within the sound Of a preached gospel.
We had thought il an exploded notion among
Protestants, that I" ignorance is the mother Of
devotion"--bu. the sentiment that ignorance is
the mother oforder among slaves, is cousin GER
man to II, and without any direct acknow ledge
lneDt from g his holiness" bears undoubted
marks Of flial relation TO him.
The operation Of the law in question must in
evitasly doom the great body of the slaves in
Virginia 10 perdtiop. Ii will be in some mea-
'uTe eyaded no doubt-but IFS provisions are of
'uch nature as to preclude the possibility Of
any thing like general evasion, especially
when the voice of the Legislature is merely an
echo OF the sentiments snat perradc the great
mass Of The population.