New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-10-18

,ure r. ia Nature. DOT Man, that we must con-
oucr: and Nature yields reluctantly and grudglngly
~ d;sbonorabe toll and labor that the scourge
imr,els She loves not to surrender to hands that
III. fetter has marked. And therefore, in addition
70 tbe suffering of the human being, compulsioD.
and the prison-house, and Labor (which, in every
sense. is mans best friend) converted to degra-
dation-besides all this, there is gross blunder
made in the attainment of National Wealth. he
great proprietor, whether Patrician, or bashaw,
or Noble is content enough and finds that all goes
| well; but the Community, as whole becomes
| impoverished its industry, the source OF every
thing, is relaxed, unhonored; sloth and corrup-
ton are fosered, its fictitious strength decays, its
civilization must kiss the dust
Interrogate those gigantic ruins in the East
Thetes, and Egypt, and Pamyra-they will teach
the same lesson. Enslaved multitudes raised the
| temple, the palace, The pyramid, and, melting
away at the base Of the structures they had
| reared, left their work to the Inheritance of the
desert. The slow sand gained on their abors.
These yield silent testimony; in the history
of Rome we have loud evidence of the operation
of this pernicious system. Nothing can speak
more plainly than 1.-THE description we have of the
dstresses of the province of Gaul, owing to the
demands of craving e1chequer, and that at a
time when no peculiar tyranny is complained OF
When the census was to be taken, says Lactantus,
father of the church, in order fix each per-
son or family the due amount of contribution, such
| was the lamentaton, such the general distress,
one would have thought there was an invading ar
N.Y. or town taken by assault. But in vain, he
adds, did the officers exaggerate the value Of ev-
cry thing, in order to lay it the greater tain
vain did they add to the years of infancy and take
from those of old age, that they might increase
thc number of such as were Liable to the tribute :
the men, indeed, could suffer and could starve, but
they could no longer pay. The fields were de-
serted, or were strewed with the sick and the dy-
ing. The tax, in all its exorbitancy, was imposed
but there was nothing left to pay it but the dead
Nor did the wealthy inhabitants of the Gaulish
towns escape the unwonted pressure of this tinal-
| cial distress. The magistrates, the cuaaalsS,
were made responsible. in the first instance, for
! the tax imposed upon the whole province. They
| were called upon to pay the entire contribution
into the imperial exchequer, and take upon them
selves the collection of it. Now the magistrates
Of the great cities of Gaul occupied very honor
able position; much power was necessarily thrown
into their hands, and the emperors were, in gene
ra solicitous TO maintain the honor and efficiency
Of this body of men. Put this one charge of col
lecting the revenue was SO oppressive, and rem
dered them so odous to their cliow-countrymrn
that there was the greatest anxiety TO escape
from office. The highest senatorial rank,
who generally resided in their villas, were ex-
enpted; the class next in order were those OPP
pressed by these civic houors, and they had re-
course all manner of pretexts and expedlents
escape from them. The code is full of decisions
pronounced against such pretexts, and compesg
men to assume these municipal functions. Some
were known to take flight and conceal themselves
in tba IF in
tolerable honors. There is novel-that is, de-
cree of the emPeror-which ordains, :" that if any
bailif of an estate (to use free translation)
should receive such runaway burgess or common
council man, and not render him up to the to
which he belonged, such bailif, if freeman,
should be degraded and sentenced to laber, and,
if slave, should be beaten to death What
shall we say Of the state of society where there
was law Furnishing with death any one who
should harbor citizen seeking refuge among
slaves from the honors of the magistracy
In the mixture of good and evil which accrued
to mankind from the overthrow Of the Roman
empire must set down first and pre-eminently
among its good results, that it led to the abolition
of this system Of slavery. 1t seems that nothing
less than a reconstruction Of society-a complete
beginning again-could get rid of an evil SO in
cerporated into the civilization Of eden times
We sometimes hear this result attributed at once
and simply to Christianity. There has been no
good done in which that religion has not had its
share-there is no good result to which it ought
not to lead; but assuredly the preaching of Chris
lianity did not itself effect this reformation The
City of Antioch was one Of the greatest, and per
haps the most Christian city of the empire. Its
opulent inhabitants retained their slaves with as
little scruple Of conscience, under the preaching
Of their excellent bishop St. Chrysostom, when
the priest of Apollo led forth the youth of the city,
in riotous assembly, TO the voluptuous groves of
Daphue. He who would note the true era of the
downfall of slavery, must, in opinion. keep
his eye upon the rising communes, on the new
municipalities, which. over all feudal Europe,
struggled into existence and power against their
disorderly oppressors. In these communes,
free burghs, society began afresh, and entered
| a new track. The citizens, who were here strug
CLING for independence and the benefit of equal
| laws, were not in the condition to hare slaves
what they commended for was, the liberty to work
with their own hands, and enjoy the produce OF
their own labor. When they had triumphed, the
industry of the tewns was seen 10 be in the hands
of freemea; the lahors of the loom and the forge
| were transferred to workmen, proud of their So
| cial position and resolved to maintain it. The
| Flemish weaver had his sword hanging at his
loom. Thus new model of society was given.
| 1t was soon felt that the industry of the fields
| also-that the labor OF the husbandman-ought TO
be manunitted- Nor was discomfort idle among
the peasantry. The preaching of Christianity,
operating this state Of things, and strongly
aided on enc occasion By the general belief that
the world WAS coming TO an end completed aad
! sanctioned the happy revolution.
| THE WIG ALMANAC AND i, s, REGISTER,