Litchfield enquirer., 1841-01-21
COrrsspondence ofMe ". IT. Palladium.

line 1hat divides the free from the Slave
 States, to be made acquainted with the iTl-
 pressions of u new conAer into these parts.-
 Until within few days, had never breath
 ed the same atmosphere with. men held in
 bondage by their fellow. men. and of course
 have never before seen the blight and mil.
 dew which it appears are insepafably atten-
 dant upon the existence of slavery. At the
 north, labor is the lot of all, or nearly all of
 our citizens, and we are accustomed to re-
 gard some useful occupation as necessary to our Happiness as we'll as our subsistence of
 course labor is honorable, and all classes of
 society participate in it. In this region of
 slavery, the opposite is the fact. Among the
 higher grade of society, labor is considered
 as decidedly out of character, and white
 man who works Is at once placed upon par
 with the negro. From this all. pervading
 and monstrously absurd notion spring most
 of the evils that distinguish slave country
 from the land of, free men. Among the prin-
 cipal effects of this notion it is observed that
 the work done is poorly done.
 The slave is mere machine, in one sense.
 He performs his task as c task, and has no
 incentive leading him to contrive or to im-
 prove. He has no reputation to gain or lose
 -his mental faculties are not called into re.
 quisition at all-it is sufficient for him that
 his task is performed-hence the countless
 variety of convenient and labor saving con- trivances so common with us at the north
 are unknown here-the lords of creation be-
 ing too proud to work, and the slaves not
 having the capacity tu perform labor that
 requires the least ingenuity. The same mo-
 notonous round is of necessity pursued from
 year to year. It has been said to me by a
 lady residing here, that if Q gentleman erects
 dwelling he will be more likely to buy an extra negro to bring water from distance his h0usc--and so of every thing. An extra slave is introduced to supply the place of some little convenience that is common in the most humble dwellings in New England.
 By these means the number of domestics is greatly multiplied, and it requires at least three here Co do the labor of one faithful ser want at the north. From the same general cause, you very rarely see house the exte. rior Of which does not indicate the lack of attention. It is not in the first instance prop erly built. The owner seldom concerns himself about its beauty or comfort, and if any attention is needed the slave is incom. petent to the work. and the gentleman of the house is above it, and besides, his taste and educativn huye been ouch that he Is as in- competent to the task as is his slave. and moreover he cares nothing about it-hence the external appearance of the houses bears. marks, which with us, would be set down as resulting from intempeVance or idleness, but hero areoto be traced to entirely different
 The internal arrangements of the dwel. lings bear the same impress. The first Ho- teis in this city are not equal in respect to their cookery or their general neatness and comfort to our most common country tav. erns. Morals also partake ofthe same with ering influences. The Sabbath is either trittered away by clipping it off ut both ends, or IS entirely disregarded-public dinners are given and attended by distinguished
 of Congress, and In fact, the day, so generally held sacred by all our people, is here completely overshadowed; even re. ligious men appear to possess differently constructed consciences from those that dic- tate the conduct of northern Christians. In short, the whole face of society most clearly bears the impress of some powerful agency, throwing a gloomy aspectan decaying ap- in my judgment, that evil agent is nothing more nor less than slavery. .. '',.'..'...
 At the North we are not surrounded by a host of ignorant, bluIIdering and indolent slaves. Those whp work, labor for their pay they also teel that their reputation is at stuke-cyen day laborer Is anxious to give entire satisfaction, hence he laborS and hence our work is well done. Again, with us there is no stigma attached to labor. Our men of property do not feel disgraced to be found engaged in some useful employment, and it is from this tact that the entire mind, the intellect of our whole people is brought into rcquisition- taste IS cultivated and conveniences are con- triVcd. Our houses, fences, &c. are general Iy 80 constructed as to be alike pleasing to the eye and conducive to our comfort- Our women are also the active Superintend. cnts of their appropriate spheres. and as they are thus active, it becomes matter of direct importance to themselves to secure the various copveniences within their reach ito teach their servants the use of them, and by constant supervision of all their house. hold affairs see tha: every thing is properly and promptly done-of course there must also be moro equality aud more general in. tclligence in our stnte of society. Every man whose energies have not been supplied by vice fcels that he Is a man entitled to the respect of his fellow citizens, and in his ap. propriate sphere he enjoys n thousand conl- forts that are common 10 ail. Finally, am fully satisfied by whnt have seen Of life in n slave region, that the whites here are ms much entitled 10 our sympaihies as the
 bucks. and when contrast their condition with our own. I cannot refrain oss their ac. count from offering a sincere petition to the Supreme Ruler of ev'nts that he would " roll swiftly around the wheels of time and bring the welcome day" when the chains shall not only be struck from the slave. but our white brethren also become free-treo from the everlasting. paralyxing and demoralixlng in- huence which hangs like a millstone about