Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1843-01-04
From "A Voice from the JAIL
6 p r F. CHI


am in this prison for attempting to exer /
else it-freely as man. felt called on TO
open my mouth for the Southern slave, in !
the places where protesting christians meet
! 10 worship. And should j not obey that !
call? Am / man, and may not speak
when think and feel that I.ought to speak?
Must be silent, when wish 10 speak
! Why am made with these organs of utter
ance, and these capacities for conviction and
thought, il it all may be controlled and sup
pressed by the power of others Why have
sym2athies for my suffering kind, if / may
not. let them flow out? VIVA: does God
| mean in my formation Has He made me
in mockery Is He deluding me? Is He
triaing with his creation = His intelligent
creation-He, who never tribes with even
brute or inanimate naure2
spoke for the Slave, on nay own human
ity's motion, and at the Bidding Of. God
And am here for it. We'll, will bear it
as becomes man. But must tell my in
generators they commit "a mighty mistake,
when they shut up in prison a nature that
knoUs holo to endure prirdfion like this.
It's indeed trying. You thar are. abroad
can not estinateit. You can never con-
.ceive what it is to be prisoner Retire
4ment, when ii is voluntary lis pleasant
but solitude, when it is not voluntary, is
dreadful. Confinement for day - in the
mos. pleasant place would be irksome 10
an extent than can hardly be believed The
early hours would wear heavily, as you
thought you lad got to stay through The long
coming day, and the day would be tedious
and very long.8 But prolong il to days,
weeks-to months-stretch it out Indefinite
i tB-and change the pleasant room to dis
NAL, prison cell and indgine if you can.
the prisoners feelings I am prisoner
! had read of prisoners, in bloody lands, and
: dark old times. | did not lhiuk | should
ever experience what / read of-here in nv
own safe, familiar, native land. But no
matter. 1t is experience an invaluable
: teacher. | would not take the wealth OF the
! Indies for what it has taught me- am an
e d6otftionist@ now. | can remember those
D In bonds" used to Imagine slavery and
e chains. feel something of them now = /
= could now speak experimentally, think. !
: should not speak, were abroad again, dull
. and tedlously, as used to-moving no heart
il because my own was but partially moved
1t Poor slaves, know how 10 pity you,-and
I, God helping me, will plead your cause, il
Il am again allowed the opportunity, in the
> pleasant assemblies Of men, Methinks i
e would be pleasant to be in an assembly
! surrounded by human faces,-but will no
= dwell on things like This.
re Go TO the plantation and see ensldueo
ir humanity there. am not slave The,
IS shat me up here = but il is as man. II i:
for punishment. They would shut up ont
: another so-for my offeace. But the slav,
is not reckoned a man. He is counted
y. thing Of nerchandize-a beas. of burden
r an ANIMAL. Think of that. He goes abou
I'd among men and women and children = bu
We he is not of them, any more than the hors
le or the dog. He is not among his fellow
- creatures. He is not in prison, from whic
> there IS possible escape, so that be Nigh
- hope. The world is al prison to him. ES
n istence is imprisonment. Eternity is con
id fnement, and blank despair. Iwonder b
is not downright brute or, idiot, and hi
ID soul totally exlinguished. All is done |
" put out the light of Immortality in him, thu
! can be, and wonder that he is the sen
nd blance Of humanity. On! the responsible
m that lies on the people of this Clristeadon
Ter Oh! crime Of making SLAVES of the b,
al man family of keeping them SLAVES! Q
ch the crime of protesting goodness, and keel
hS Ing humanity in SLAVERY. This is the Grim
OF thee churches. Ga theawful9cr again
God and man, Of assuming priesthood
=; pretending il to be chrislian--and using i
20. horrible influence and power to perpetua
val human enslavenient, and hiader peacef
of effort for lis overthrow.
The SPECIFICATIONS .organ.of reform amor
The men. VIII il ever be free2 Il will NO
/. OF wonders then. Men and women Won
~. speak like God if they could once get fire
ar. and give fall scope 10 the divinity that
his Imprisoned within them. Now ii is e
rs. chained. Men speak now, as they won
off walk IN letters. And they look, as tn
speak The, human look is covered a
:, brought down-and all human action is &C
strained and seIviie. T. B. BEAcH
per
342 The ANGLER AND THE FIsH.-A f
orn- days ago, as respectable city mercha
and who was occasionally in the haoit of