The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-12-02


community demands intelligent laborefS. I'm
enlightened labor is always wastefui and unpIof-
liable; bat here are three millions in our midst
doomed by slavery 10 hopeless ignorance, denied
the right, the opportunity, even the possibility of
becoming intelligent, useful laboreIs.
So great is this evil, SO apparent the wrong,
that many in our State, who oppose al! schemes
of Emancipation and defend slavery right,
yet admit that the slaves should be educated.-
This admission does credit to their humanity,
but does not, We imagine, strengthen the cause
they advocate.
Slavery and Education! The two things do
not perfectly harmonise. Slavery, by its very
nature, forbids Education. Educate your slaves
and they will cease TO be slaves. Intelligence
is the great Emancipator. There are only two
consistent alternatives before you. Slavery with
Ignorance, Freedom with Education.
The other evil to which we alluded, as pre-
sented with almost startling vividness in the
address, is that slavery produces general iicen-
tiousness among the slaves; marriage, as a civil
ordinance, they cannot enjoy"
The existence and magnitude Of this evil are
so prominent that very many pro-savery men
are willing and DESTROYS, that our legislature
should throw the sanctity Ct law around the
marriage relation among slaves as well as among
| the free.
We rejoice at such indications Of humanity
and right feeling, and we hope that our citizens
will demand Of the legislature at its approach
ing session, the enactment of a law, which
shall recognise the validity and Permanence of
the marriage ordinance among the blacks equal
| ly az among the whites. Bat, we must con-
fess that although We can s,,el and admire the
humanity which would prompt pro-slavery men
TO All in -efieciing the passage Of such a law,
sse .'sanot discern their consistency. IL you
sanction the marriage relation, You must neces-
sarily forbid the separation of husband and
wife, and thus materially sffsct the value Of
slave property. But the genuine pro-slavery
man says You have no right 10 interfere with
his slave property, more than with any other
property; the men, women and children being,
as he asserts, as truly and entirely his, as the
oxen and hogs owned by him. Besides the prac-
teal difficulties growing out of the interference
with property, the idea Of throwing the sanctty
Of matrimony around property strikes one as
very novel and peculiar. Imagine marriage
ceremony in which the idea should be carried
out. The parties stand before the minister, who
speaks as follows:
| "You, John, being piece Of property, prom
Use to take the piece Of property, Ann, whom,
or rather which, you hold by the hand, to
be your lawful wife. and promise to love and
honor it."
This seeI.s absurd enough; but whence arises
the absurdity2 Simply from the fact that hu-
man beings are held as property, men ane wo-
men made chatiels Of.
In truth, marriage and slavery have no more
congeniality than Education and Slavery. Con-
sisieney requires that We take eiiherfreedom with
the marriage relation, slavery with licentious-
ness; 1. e. freedom and obedience to Gods laws,
or slavery and contempt of Gods laws. Such
is the alternative presented TO the citizens, the
enlightened, Christian citizens of Kentucky.
The address which has suggested this train OF
remarks, gives rise 10 many other Thoughts, but
time and space forbid the expression of aay
more. Further remarks We defer 10 another
time.