The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-06-24

The following paragraphs extracts from a
letter written by noble-hearted ksntuekian, q
resident in the southern part of the State,
whose soul gIOws with the love of freedem.-
We ask attention 10 bis earnest words
After speaking of the vices common among
the blacks, and especially Of licentiousness, in
regard TO the prevalence Of whicI he makes
some startling statements, he inquiries: sin
cEzistis1 f.lsi.iss who Is responsible for saeh
results, the slsve-mother OF the masier1 Pa
rents are Commanded 'tO bring up their children
in the nurture and admonitiOn Of the Lord
To do this, they must have some time to teach
them virtuous habits; TO give them some eduea-
ton; to teach them 10 read the Bible, that they
may learn the viii Of God and have his fear be-
fore their eyes"
"As the master has the entire control Of the
slaves time, who is responsible for the proper
raising Of the slsve-children' Some slaves
have time, but from ignorance. continued from
generation 10 generation, they are incapable Of
giving the proper Information"
at j. a fearful responsibility 20 be the master
Of rising generation Of human beings. What
an inducemsnt TO raise his own children in ig-
norsnce, and its natural associate, vicel II
christians, masters. would think more on this
subject, the Bible would not be, so generally, to
the slave q sealed book. / hold that the church
should see 10 it, that the Bible should be put in
to the hands Of every man. and that all should be
taught to read it''
l.. -. .-.---. M.
msnd earnest consideration.
That vice, and especially the vice of licen-
tiousness, exists to an appalling extent among
the cOlored population, no man can doubt Ev-
licences, too plain and too painful, are continu-
ally forced upon us.
As no one can doubt the prevalence Of vice
among the slaves, no one can doubt that, for
It's prevalence, there is responsibility somewhere
Hhsrel That is a question worth considering.
Is IL said that the responsibility rests with the
slave parentsi Can II rest with theml Moral
responsibility implies moral fitness, ability TO
discharge the duty for which one is responsible
How, then, can the parents be respOnsiblei Are
they not themselves ignorant, degraded, and
many Of them viciOus7 As class, are they
not destitute Of those moral qualifications, with
out which one cannot be invested with morsl
responsibilities
Bat VIII you say that nature prompts even
vicious parents 20 desire the welfare Of their
children7 Alas. here we see ono Of the most
dsPlOrsble consequences Of tbs system Of slave
ny SlaDs pareats AaUe no Children. In the
eye Of this system, their children are not their
own. Never shall we forget the impression
made upon our minds by the words Of colored !
woman. who was demonstrated with because Of |
cruelty to her children. A by-siander saIi to
her, "yoD cOlOred people do not seem to have |
the same affection for your children, that we |
white people have for ours" True" was the |
answer, shut why7 We dare not love our chil- |
dren. for they are not ours to love; and we fear
10 FIX our affections upon them, for at any mo-
ment they may be torn from us" Thus slave
~ thrusts itself between nature and her holt
eat, tendercst affections. We do not say that
slavery is invariably followed by such results;
for the instances are many. in which we find at /
tschments stronger than death existing between
slave parents and their children; but these are
instances in which the Humanity of masters has
modified the system, and which illustrate its
character only by contrast, "a exceptions Illus
frste rule. But however modified the system
may be IN special, OF in numerous instances, ia
inherent nAinreis unchanged, its Legitimate ten
dsncy still re'nainss and that tendency is to
blunt the affections, 70 imbruts the mind 70 duh
the es-scisscs. In one word, the system, b,
rendering The slave incapable Of moral discrim-
instion, diresis him Of moral responsibility.
But what becomes q this responsibility II
must exist somewhere Moral responsibility
may Be transferred, BAT never caa be Destroyed
To vhonthen does it attach itselfg To whom