The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1844-05-13


spend the Sabbath there alone, listening to the insects
singing their prayers, to the panlve voice of tho
ring-dovc, coming up from tho Utmost henrt of the
shaded forest
"Whose deep, low note is like gentle wife,
poor, pensive, yet happy one, %
Stealing when daylight's common tasks are done,
An hour for mothers work, and singing low,
While her tried husband and her children sleep"
In the stiffness of Nature there is ever something
sacred; for she pleads tenderly with man that he
will live no at discord with her. and like the ell
oquent dumb boy,she ever curyeth ''grent for
God in her heart"
" Meath clustered boughs, each floral he'll that
Aud tolls its perfume on the passing all, swingcth,
Makes Sabbath in the fields, and even rngeth
call to prayer"
can never forget that adventure in the wilder
There is something sadly impressive in such
complete desolaon, where life has once ,been busy
and gny-nnd where human pride has inscribed its
transient history with the Wondering insignia Of rank
and wealth
The rapid ruin and the unbro<cn stiffness seemed
so much like the work of enchanmcnt that the tray
eers named the place, The Hamlet Of the Seven
Sloepers AT the next inhabited village, they obtain
ed brief outline Of lis history 1t had been original
ly settled by wealthy families, with large plantations
and numerous slaves. They Virginia gentle
men Of the olden school, and would have felt them
selves disgraced by the modern business Of breeding
slaves for market In fact, strong family pride made
them exceedingly adverse 10 sell any slave that had
belonged TO their So the slaves multiplied
on their hands, and it soon took call thcir corn to
feed their hogs and all their hogs to feed their ne
groes." Matters grew and worse with these
old mill he oil I,st vi. v,nl
by the miserable system fsavcry, and would no
longer yield its increase What could these arso-
cratic gentlemen do for their sons under such circum-
stances Plantations be bought for them in the
far Southwest and they must dispense, with their
trains of human cattle, to blight other and fertile
regions. There is an old superstition that grass
grows where the devil has danced; and the effects Of
slavery show that this tradition like most 9th crs is
born Of truth. Il is not suppose, a special
vengeance on the wicked system; il is simple re-
suit of the universal and intimate relation between
spirit and mattel Freedom writes itself on the earth
in growth and beauty; oppression in drcariness and
decay, If we attempt trace this effect anal tiralIy,
shall find that il originates in lnndholders too
proud to work. in uborers deprived of heallhful
tive, in the inevitable intermediate class Of overseers
who have interest in the soil the aborers; but
whose pay depends on the forced product they can
extort from both Mr. Faulkner Of Virginia has stated
the impressively: Compare the condition ofthe
slave.hodug portion orths commonwealth, barren,
desoate, and scared it by the avenging hand
Of IIeaven with the description which we have of this
same country from those who first broke lis virgin
soil To what is this change ascribable? Alone 10
the blasting and whitening effects of slavery. 10
that vice in the organization Of society by which one
half its inhabitants arrayed in interest and feeling
against the other half 10 that condition Of things in
which half million of your population can feel no
sympathy with society, in the prosperity of which
they forbidden to participate, and attachment
to n government at whose hand they receive nothing
but Justice.
What will our apoIogsts say to anneXng Texas,
and thereby helping to re-estabsh slavery in region
where the ancestral government had previously
abolished ii? l.. NJ. c.