The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-11-04
For tho National Era.
PLETCHER'S STUDIES ON SLAVERY


For tho National Era.
PLETCHERs STUDIES ON SLAVERY.
Mr.. Fletcher confidently brings his book
forward as a complete refutation of Claiming
Wayland. Barnes and the whole host of Anti
Slavery writer's His friends are enthusiastic
in his praise Every chapter contains a prop
osition, and every proposition is demonstrated"
saws one Like the cronies of old John Will
let's they are convinced that lit would be hard
to find any one willing to tackle " their cham
pion in argument Occupying a different po-
sition from that of these gentlemen, his efforts
in that way" sound to me like continued
querulous reproach of Dame Nature for the
scantiness of her endowments of him. He dis
PLAYS more inventive than argumentative or
expository talent Indeed, Nature has amply
atoned for her neglect in the particular no
ticed, by her layisbness in this. She has given
him an active imagination, which carries him.
at flying leap over obstacles that would put
complete stop to mere ploddcrs in the path
of reason. His progress sometimes is a con-
tinued flight, without even look at the
ground. His theory of the mark of Cain, and
the curse OF Canaan, deserves to be published
separately as a romance though it is rather
too extravagant for any but the lovers of the
French school Of fiction. give summary of
its principal propositions: ]. The mark placed
on Cain WAS black skin. 2. Ham married
! a descendant of Cain, probably Naamah, the
daughter of Lamech. g. The prediction of
Noah applies to all of Hams family as de-
scendants of Cain. OF the first, MIR. Fletcher
says "Thc word translated mark is 9th ; it
means mark of miraculous nature, where
by some future thing is of u certainty known,
and may be something done or only said.
Whatever it may have been, the object was to
prevent him from being slain 10y any one meet
ing him, by its proclamation Of the burden of
the curses under which he labored Ii was,
therefore, absolutely the mark of sin, sealing
upon him and his race this secondary degree
| of slavery. The mark distinguished them as
| low and servilc, as well as wicked and hence
its protective influence.
"But. what was the mark of sin What is il
| now and what has it ever beent II one is
| accused of some vile offence little presump-
tive evidence will make w say, it is very dark
crime; it makes him look very black. This
| figure, if it be one now so often applied, is SO
strongly used in Scripture, and in fact by all
in every age that the idea seems well warrant
ed that the downward humiliating course of
sin has direct tendency, by the Divine law,
to even physically degrade, perhaps blacken
and dsbeautify, the animal man. Now, let us
look at the plain scriptural account Genesis
4th chapter, and 18th to 18th verses " And
Cain said unto the Lord my punishmentis great
or than can bear Behold thou hast driven me
out this day from the face of the earth, and
from thy face shall | be hid, and shall be
fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and
it shall come to pass that every one that find
eth me shall slay me And the Lord said unto
him, therefore, whatsoever slayeth Cain, ven
geance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And
the Lord set Il mark upon Cain lest any one
finding him should Stay him" Am not JUS
tilted in saying that Mr.. Fletcher displays
more inventive than expOstory talent. Here
from the simple statement that a mrak was
set upon Cain, to preserve him from violent
death, he has obtained the theory that it was
"a proclamation of the burden Of curses under
which he labored," to be transmitted to his
posterity, Sealing upon them secondary de-
gree OF slavery And where did he learn that
degradation protects from violence! Is not the
reverse we'll known 10 be the fact! Did the
degradation Of the Jews in Europe during the
middle ages a degradation often set forth by
the peculiar garb enforced upon them by law,
protect them from violence, or does it now act
in this way in Mahometan countresi But
why need 90 further, when our author him.
self presents no signal refutation Of his own
theory, in his attempt to degrade still lower
an already degraded race! He then comes to
the union Of the Sons of God with the daugh-
| tiers of men.
| Here, for a moment, he balks for he finds
that the Sons of God the children of Seth saw
the daughters of men, THE children of Cain, J
that they were fair He explains this by say
ing chat "the word translated fair, merely
means good, excellent, rs the quality may exist
in the mind of the person taking cognizance."
| He certainly will not deny that it means they
were very attractive TO the Sons of God Now,
is it not rather singular idea, that race Of
religious men should be seduced from their
| Divine allegiance by the charms ofnegro women.
mean no disrespect TO the colored race, but
speak of them as they appear to me, and to
white people generally. We sometimes see
single instances Of the infatuation his theory
implies, but it is certainly very improbable that
| it should be general. He may say it is posi-
constructed altogether Of probabilities, and an
improbability is therefore fatal to it.
The second proposition Mr.. Fletcher finds
10 weak, tntt NC ue'hiPes w n"PPois ~ WIN |"
special prop-he fixes on NaaInah ~ the wife
OF Ham We shall first remove the prop, though
il does not come first in Mr.. Fletcher's arrange
ment, but the destroyer generally reverses the
succession Of the builder. "Let it be noticed
says Fletcher,) that Immediately preceding the
account of the food, and the causes which led
TO that Judgment upon the earth, we are pre-
sented with the genealogical tables of the fam
lies of Cain and Seth down to that period and
that these tables terminate with Ham in that
of Seth, and in the female Naamah in that Of
Cain Ham and Nsamah are thus placed
upon q parallel, as far as regards these tableso
Mr.. Fletcher, though he professses to found
his theory on the Scriptures, does not enter
them like person entering friendly terri
tory, but rather like predatory chief making
forsy his path through them is extremely
narrow. Or perhaps be may better be com
pared TO boy entering a chamber, which he