The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-07-24

The country inhabited by the descendants OF
Canaan is also described with such geographical
accuracy a. to leave no doubt on the mind that
they spread over the territory Afterwards con-
quered by the Israelites, the posterity of Shem,
| and at a still later day overrun by the Romans,
/ the posterty Of Japheth Hear this geogrsphi-
/ cal description
And the border Of the Csnaanites was from
Sidon. as thou CONTEST to Gear unto Cana; as
thou goesi unto SodOm and Gomorrah, and Adj
NAH and Zeboim, even unto Lasha"-C'sH. x, ~.
Now we have the highest historical evidence
that Of the Sacred Scriptures themselves, that
the Canaanites did become the servants Of Shem,
that is, became the subjects or vassss Of Shem's
posterity. from the time Of the invasion Of their
territory by Joshua, down to the destruction Of
Jerusalem by the Romans and that the same
descendants of Canaan became the subjects or
vassals Of the Romans, who were the children Of
Japhet, pagan as we'll as sacred history furnishes
undeniabe proof
There is not a title Of evidence in the fate Of
the Canaanites, going 70 show that they were ne
grOes that they were ever reduced TO the condl-
ton Of involuntary servitude.
But Dr. Cartwright sezes with great avidity
upon the word enlarge, in the English phrase,
God shall enlarge Japheth,' as prophetic OF the
subsequent extension Of Japheth's posterity over
, the world and especially over the territory Of
part Of Noah's prophecy is fulfilled, therefore
the enslagement Of our negro population, who are
! claimed 10 be the descendants Of Canaan, by the
9 American posterity of Japheth, Is clearly pre-
dicted by Noah.
$ An examination Of the meanings Of the word
Ya-ibs.tfs which is enormously translated IN the
received version by the word enlarge, will probs-
9 bly, open the eyes of DR.. Cartwright to the fal-
lacy Of his theory
The root of Ya-pIe-He is Phan-tbdHL. and its
primary sense is 1omhtul, midsr the nFHt"e> Of
passion ros sillU foolish. WOlafrouS Its Arabic
aud Ethiopic cognates, of similar sound have the
same signifcatiop It's secondary meanings are,
kd 10 loIIv. psysuad,d 10 .r sedncsd eHf'osd, de-
cared used Eiiy wordr TO- dsci"tS FOOLISH deeiaTed
ifolqfyops comparison Of a few OF the passages
| in which this word is found will perhaps illus
! trate its power better than any dissertation upon
! IT, however learned
! '"Take heed TO yourselves, that your heart be
y d,cs,red lie not gnder the influence Of pas
sion be NOT SHY, oe'hot fGOfaco--s,.- r. i. -
aud ye turn aside and serve other gods, and wor
shin them Der xj ! G.,
q Aud my hear n.y.. oeel. : -.,y ~ (,s%5;S2l ,
der the influence Of passion, led to folly, led to
idolatry,) Vd.y-phe-tts job XXI, 81
"For wrath killeth the foolish man. and envy
sayeth the silly one, Phi-the.0m"-JOJ V, 2
Therefore NEEDLE not wuh him tha Rattereth,
"Ephraim also is like silly, PhO-thaah, dove,
without heartn-HOssa vii, IL.
Ii will be seen from these examples-and they
could be multiplied an hundred fod-that the
folly of Japheth's descendants was to consist in
their idoairy, which was foreseen by Noah in
his prophetic Visions and that their extension
over the face of the earth was not the subject
matter of the prediction. Indeed there was no
necessity for prophecy of an obviously natural
IA IL ~ t,,1; nf lob NJ
descendants; but the fact that they would 90 80
far away from the true God as to be guilty Of the
consummate folly of becoming, all of them, idola-
ters, which did take place, was an event that
might well deserve to be foretod by the father.
The expression, Ya-phe-He E-iO-h'em, God de-
clarsS mOlatrOuS is equivalent to God d,ciares NIL
he dolatrOus, for the Hebrew present tense trans
ports the speaker to the time when the action &C.
ours.
In conclusion, if this prophecy be paraphrased
according to the views have taken Of it, it will
read somewhat as follows:
GENESIS tx, u TO y.
PGr0ph,ase.
q And Noah awoke from his debauch Of wine,
and knew what his younger son had done unto
him, knew with what wicked and lustfu thoughts
he had gazed upon his fathers exposed person.
25 And Noah propheced, and said The
|
the destructive vice Of his fourth son Canaan and
his descendants, and they will be reduced to the
loves! S aph sisEsSss%
20 And Noah further prophecied and said
| The Lord God will be worshipped by Shem and
certain of his descendants, and they will reduce
to political subsection Hams fourth son. Canaan,
and his descendants.
81 God declares that Japheth aud his descend.
ants will become idOatrous, that they will occupy
vast tracts Of the territory Of Shem and his pos
terity, and that they will also bring into political
subugatiOn Hams fourth son, Canaan, and his
descendants.
Such seems to me- Mr.. Editor, to be the real
meaning of this prophecy Of Noah. 1t is consist
ent with the subsequent history Of the people
springng from the oins Of Shem, Japheth, and
Hams fourth son Canaan. 1t is consistent with
| the political conquests Of the Scientific races by
! the posterity of Japheth-the English branch Of
| which, at this moment, emphatically dwells in
the tents Of Shem,p having nearly all India under
its political subsection Ii is consistent with the
reasons that obviously Influenced Noah in giving
the names he did to his sons and his grandson
H.m, Rams, is declarative of the glory renown
fame and good name, which we're to attach to him
and certain Of his posterty, for their adherence to
the worship Of the true God, and through whom
God himself was TO become man for the salvation
of the human race. JdpAsth tolly, is sguifcative
Of the character Of him and his poserity, in being
led away by their passions from the worship of
the true God 10 the worship OF stocks and stones
TO become idolaters, all, without exception Ham,
lust is illustrative Of his character and that of oil
his sons and their descendants, who " dishonored
their bodies between themselves and who are
universally guilty of this reprobate and destruct
i've vice to this day. Canaan, huulbled, brought
DORM is descriptive of the utter political degrade
a. ~ 81 Ia kna
son-a degradation that began with his occupancy
of Palestine, and that continues, with undated
abssement, TO this hour
The attempt Of DR. Cartwright to make the
passage prophetic Of negro slavery in the United
States seems TO be based upon the idea that Ham
and Canaan were negroes. The fallacy Of this
idea must be obvious TO DR. Cartwright, il he will
ask himself how il came to pass that Noah, by
the same wife-for the sacred historian expressly
| makes him the husband Of one wife-should have
| two white sons and one black son And IL he ad-
mits that Ham was white, how it came to pass
that he, by his one wife-for the sacred historian
| gives him but one wife too-should have Cush,
! the father Of Nimrod, both Of whom were white
| and Canasn, who was black ?
The truth is, as DR. Agasss has well observed
there is not single passage in the Old or New
Testament that even alludes to the negro race
from which we have taken our slaves What is
more, there is not a single negro tribe the
tineut OF AFRICA or suy Of it's islands, whose Ian
guage so far as known exhibits the least trace Of
the Hebrew, it's cognates, or any Of the Scientific
original stocks whence they were derived But
be these things as they may, il must be evident
10 the reader, by this time, that there is nothing
in this prophecy Of Noah to sustain DR.. Cart
Wrights theory.
Very respectfully, yours, &c, w. c.. S.
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
/ lIn "a 4 m ~ ~ IL =