Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1850-10-01
For the Register.
i.sficn G<he Slavery question:
Pretended SYmDathieS. &C.

lnion, and most likely il possible eventually &c
fbring about its entire dissolution is that Of the
, interference of the Nor,hera Aboiitionists with
the Institutions Of the South. Slavery they con-
) tend Is curse, a curse that has been eDtailed
, upon Us by our foreiathers, and one too that
those Northern fanatics havedone little TO abolish
: but much TO perpeiuate and augment Is it the
humane feeling they entertain towards the Afri-
can race which prompts them to such disinter-
ested Interference in their behalf, or is it the
more sordid motive Of jealousy peeping from
theiT dusty bowers that have taken the pretend
cd African oppression as an ostenslbIe preteXt
with " hich to cover their malicious and pre-
medi'ated design? If il is the former that intlu-
ences them then the principles Of humanity
should be their rule and guide IN every plan ia
ken 10 ameliorate their condition; but II 1t Is
tie latter motIveby which they are gOverHcdthey
: should pause and mediate before they proceed
) further; they should recollect that the word
dissolution greets harshly the ear Of every true
patriot and lover of his country, and that they
who are first to set on foot such an unhallowed
purpose may yet be brought TO feel the weight OF
retributive Justice and to brave the derision Of
Iscorn's unbending finger. Why it is that some
persons can imagine such frightful and hideous
monsters growing up in the form of slavery
threatening the total subversion Of authority and
the introduction Of general anarchy and coniu-
son, | am entirely unable to say. That they
should now startie and scare at a feature in Cur
formof government which is almost coeval with
the creation Of the World and has crept through
almost all ages, governments and contrics, and
which is sanctioned by no less authority than
Holy Writ is futile in the extreme. If those
persons who are so Jealous in the cause Of the
abolition of slavery are prompted by con-
seriousness of religious duty then the question
with them should arise whether by the abolition
of the African and throwing him upon his own
resources for his support and protection, incaPa-
BILE as he is of self-control and self-gOyernment,
their efforts would inure to the benefit OF reli,
ion or tend to make more wretched and mlsera-
Bile the condition of the very persons whose mis-
fortunes and burthens they attempt to alleviate
Whether under selfgovernmcnt he is not more
wretched and degraded and infinitely more mis-
cradle and Discontinued than when under the
control and protection of master. That the
latter is the more happy and suitable condition
for him, is evident from the fact that there ere
innumerable instances where fugitive slaves
have returned to their master, voluntarily, after
being in the enjoyment of freedom for years land
served out the remainder of their lives faithful
", and also where captured fugitiyes have been
returned to their owners they often served out
the remainder of their days with more obedience
ard contentment than they had served the pc
the boon Of freedom. But upon the other hand
it may be said that the progress of religion, the
arts, sciences and civilization, at the the present
day should never tolerate but should forever seal
and fix the fate of slavery and servitude.
Were the physical and corporal ability, the
mental and bodily endowments of all persons a
like we might then feel an inclination to accede
this point; but in this matter, as in all others,
G cd has displayed his usual degree of omnipo-
fbn INN, Il
of men for the pursuits he designed them TO fol-
low, and let me here ask which class of persons
are the most happy those who are in the full en-
oyment of freedom sub jeCt TO the laws OF their
country or those who are held in servitude, sub
iect to the will of master? The former ere
subject to the laws framed and established to
suit the minds of many legislators to whom they
become answerable if they fail TO comply with
the laws laid down which constitutes an offence
for which they may be punished by loss OF lber-
tv, they are the servants Of a delegated body,
while the latter are the servants of an Individual
only. Or whose mind is the most harrassed by |
terror, the King upon his throne, from the fear
of the rebellion of his subjects, or the servant
from the fear Of his master' And who can
doubt that there are persons whose minds are as
well capacilated for serving the will of master
as for servng,thc laws Of their country
No one will presume to deny that there are in
stances where the Ethiopian has been taken a
way from his rude companions and educated so
as to become highly civilized and refined; yet
they are rare and particularly so where any de-
gree Of talent is eyinced But it is quite likely
hat History would be entirely unable to furnish
us with single instance Of this kind had 1t not
been fer the interference Of the religious socie-
ties Of other nations whose minds are better ca
lracitatcd for refinement and civilization. We
know at the present day that there has been
some progress made in civiliZing the nations up
on the African coast by the missionary and re-
ligious societies Of the civilized Word.
But where is there a philosopher who would
now be vii ing to risk his reputation to posterlty
by yenturing the assertion that in less than i've
centuries after the withdrawal Of those societies,
they would not relapse into the same state OF
wrCtchedness and degradation. But for those |
persons whose fanatcism has led them to believe
that all persons were alike and equally cOnsitu-
ted and that all human beings are equal heirs to
the inheritance Of freedom, would ask W hat Is
the meaning Of that clause OF Holy writ Whlch
is the language Of Noah in sealing the fate of his
offending Son and his Postcrity, by the curse OF
seryitude Where lie said, &" Cursed be Canaan,
a servant of servants shall he be unto his breth
ren.n And be said, Blessed be the Lord GOD
10" Shcm and Canaan shall he his servant. God
shall enlarge Japheth and he shall dwell in the
tents of Shem and Canaan shall be his servant. y
| Gen. the ix chap. and the 25th, Goth and 9th
! yersesO None, presume, will attempt to per-
vert or sorhistcate the language Noah made use
! of; it needs neither exposition nor comment
And it seems row to be the general opinion OF
all learned persons, and The opinion has the sane
ton ard comport Ct the recorded history Of diff
ferent nations, that the Africans are really the
descendants of Ham, and the Europeans the de-
sccudauts of Japhcth, thus showing that the curse
of scrvitudc stllrcsts upon the Fostcrity of Ham,
ard that the descendants Of Japheth arestill liv-
ing in the enjoyment CT the blessing of their
father. We have seen by examining the Bible
that Of the three sons of Noah, two, Shem and
Japheth, were 10 prosper; and that the third, or
Ham the offending son, was destined 10 bondage
and servitude i'll Consequence Of the wrath his