Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1836-08-26
Erom Me Boston Reformer.
INFLUENCE OF SLAVERY ON LABOR

concern with slavery, that It is one OF the
domestic institutions of the South, and that IL
is an understandable interference with the
domestic affairs Of our neighbors, to say any
thing about it, From this we wholly dis
sent Slavery does concern us. 1t touches
every free laborer in New England, and
there is no question that interests the work
ing men of the Free States more than slavery.
Ii cannot be denied that even here, fash
ion is decidedly against the responsibility of
labor. ANY one of our fine ladies, or our
superfine gentlemen, would deem it very
great misfortune to be reduced to labor for a
livelihood. Manual labor is accounted an
employment inconsistent with refinement Of
manners and high social rank 1t is so
counted bv those who do not labor and by
those who do, and this is the reason why we
see so many racking their brains, devising
all manner of schemes, to obtain a livelihood
BY some other means than honest manual
labor. No man will work with his hands
as common aborer or mechanic, if he
can help it. Whence comes this2 +
The cause is to be found far back ln the
history of our race. In the savage s,de man
does not labor. Whatever of labof is done
is performed by woman. The proud war
rior, or the lordly hunter, disclaims the hum
Bile occupations of life. He.throws them all
upon woman as beneath his notice. makes
her his slave and treats her as his inferior
because she performs the drudgery Of life.
Or rather he throws the drudgery upon her
because lie deems her his Inferior and he
deems her inferior to himself because she is
inferior in point Of physical strength which
to the savage is the measure of greatness.
In the stute next above the savage, woman
is advanced from drudge TO a toy. She is
no longer laborer. Prisoners taken in war;
ale now spared from death and converted
into manual laborers In the fist case la
Dor is associ lated with weakness and is there
fore despised in the second, it is associated
and with bondage
In the ancient world, the Greek and Ro-
man, all. labor was performed by slaves
The lines between the slave and the freeman
were broad and impossible With the free
man was associated elevation, refinement,
nobeness, superiority with the slave, vile
ness, coarseness, degradation, all that is con-
tanned in that word mental The slave was
incapable Of any of what were deemed hon
orable pursuits. He could not bear arms
he could not sit in the Senate could not
vote could fill no places OF honor, trust or
emoument; could hold no property could
neither come nor go at his will but was
subject to all the caprces of his master
Nobody could desire his situation. The
word slave became the synonyme of all that
men most dreaded and condemned Brought
up to see all manual labor performed BY one
with whom was connected only associations
Of this kind, no one could look upon it with |
any other feelings than those of contempt or
adherence. Here is the origin of the pre-.
sent estimation of labor Labor was des-
pissed because it was performed by the weak |
and the enslaved, and the tradition of that
yet lives and falls upon the aborer.
Southern slavery keeps up the old associ-
ations. The wealthy planter is born to look
upon labor as fit only for the weakest and
in his estimation, the most degraded of be
ings. He feels almost from the cradle that
he cannot labor without degrading himself
He, when he associates with his class here
at the North, imparts something Of his own
feelings to the northern man. He believes
labor must always be performed by class
Of men fit for nothing else, and anon, his
northern brother has the same belief He
looks upon the free laborer here very much
as he does on the slave in his own section
of the country, and the first that we know
all those with whom he has intercourse
here, also become unable to distinguish any
difference between the free white, and the
enslaved black laborer
So long as slavery exists in the country, |
so long us there is large portion OF our
countrymen brought up to count labor ser |
vile, so long will the working man strive in
vain to rise TO his true social position. The |
laborer can rise only in proportion as he
can change the associations connected with |
labor These associations can be done away
only by presenting the workingman free,
independent refined cultivated man, and he |
cannot be so presented, so long as there are
millions OF slaves in sight to whom refer |
ence may be constantly made
We say then, the workngmen, and all
who regard the welfare ofrthe workingmen,
are deeply concerned in anti-slavery meas
ures. The whole laboring population of the |
free states are great, very great sufferers, in |
consequence of the existence OF slavery
Perhaps some will admit this, but will adj
wise US 10 say nothing about it now, for the
community is very much excited about slave
ry. Very well, we are glad that the COM
munity feels on the subject Slavery is
great wrong q wrong to the slave, wrong
TO the master, wrong to the free aborer,
wrong to humanity, and we do not envy
that community which can hear it discussed
without excitement. We are glad our coun-
trymen feel on the subject
Slavery must cease Through all the
past, man has worked man as he works his