Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1849-04-26
THE GREEN MOUNTAIN

to us. We know not how others may feel, bu
for ourselves the load of our own responsibility
is quite as much as we like to bear. We shoult
regret exceedingly to answer for others sins
finding II sufficiently hard TO answer Tor our own
2. Slavery is wrong to the children OF the
owner
Slaves as class are ignorant and degraded
incapable Of eXerting pure, moral or lntellectu
al influence over tie young-yet 10 them, tht
care OF the young is in great measure conided
During the peiOd when the most lasting i'm
presslons are made, and when it is of infinite
Importance that right impressions be made, thu
young are entrusted to those who are, far too OF
ten, morally incapable Of making right impress
sion upon mind or heart. Is not this wrong
Is it hot an actual wrong; Are there not many
men and women in our midst who tell us, that il
has taken them months and years to remove the
impressions made upon them in their susceptible
years, impressions which have long rendered
them the victims of superstitious fears, of which
even when suffering, they have been utterly a
shamed.
Slavery impairs the independence of the young
children accustomed to being waited on, served
become dependent upon those who serve them
They in truth, become the slaves of their slaves
Instead of relying upon their own energy and
activity and doing promptly themselves what they
wish to have done. they must put in iequlsltlor
the services Of one or more attendants. Thus
their own powers lie dormant and useless
Hence many grow up to manhood and woman
hood helAIG1a nsaskiEhadestitute of all power
d kNaR and hence
lt FOR iubU
WHICH - IN the socia
hive. Such% iniiuence of slave
ry upon the yoliHg3da Mat influence is offer
counteracted by the wisdom and fidelity of par.
onts, who, seeing the tendency, earnestly guarC
again lit.
Slavery sometimes proves deadlier wrong t.
the children Of slave-owners. All of us, whit
have lived in the midst Of slavery, have know
too many instances, instances written in blood
dark lines upon memory's page, of deeds Of Vi
Olence, done In moments Of passion by men, whit
i'll chldhood's hours, were wont freely to ven
their anger upon the save-chldren around then
and who thus grew to manhood with passions
unchecked and ungoverned, utterly destitute o.
self control, and utterly unfit for Temptations try
ing hour Could al! the dark deeds which owe
their existence to this fearful system be writer
in their own dark lines, volume would be pro
duced, repusive indeed to the eye, and Iainfu
to the healt but a most eloquent protest agains
slavery as a fatal foe to the young. #
Slavery is u wrong to the Slave. 1t denies
him the right Of liberty, that right dear 10 the
humblest being, without which the palace O
| luxury is prison, with which poverty'S lowly
/ dwelling becomes the abode of peace and hap
pincss. 1t denies him the sacredness of mar.
riage. When the slave pronounces the solemn
e bo E,,o,, hot
the command may come for him to break the
vow and bid farewell to the companion chosel
us MS fe-friend. For him there is no marriage
-- for him no law sanctions the marriage rite
and TO law frowns upon the forcible sunderine
Of the marriage tie. At any moment, when ca.
price may dictate or avarice tempt, the slave
husband and slave wife may be torn asunder ant
forever.
Slavery denies the slave the sacredness O.
home. He has no epot on earth which he may
call his own, no asylum of the affections whert
the intruder may never come. Wife and child
zen, home and heart are all at the mercy of 9th
ers. We speak now OF the system Of slavery
That system as we all know, in many, very many
instances, through the humanity and kindness o
masters, loses these repulsiye features Hun
drels Of families arc there in Kentpcky,in which
the tenderest care is eXcred over the slave, il
which his feelings as husband and father arr
sacredly regarded, Still, however, maly sucl
instances Of kindly affection there may be, tn
essential nature of the system remains the same
In theory, if not practice, the slave is denied tn
inaIienabIe rights which we have mentioned
And other rights, as dear and sacred, are denie
him. He is denied the right of intelligence
In States OF the Union the endeavor 10 inpal
knowledge to a slave, stamps the offender as
ielon, and exposes him by law to felon's fat,
Thank heaven, no such relic Of barbarsm dis
graces the statutes Of Kentucky, but the exist
ence of such a law in the States, where the sav
interest preponderates over all other interests
proves the essential character of the SYSTEM an
demonstrates how terrible a wrong slavery is
the slave.
Such is slavery; wrong to the master, to I'll
masters children and to the slave. 1t is wron
to the whole community, wrong 10 republican
ism, a wrong to religion. The tree is corrup
and must produce corrupt fruit Some beautilj
vines of affection may be entwned around i
trunk, but they cannot cover its rottenness.-
Some fair fruit may appear on the branches, bI
only when hung there by the hand of kndnos
Such fruit never can grow upon the tree. III
tree is evil and can bear only evil fruit"