The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-03-17
For the National Fra.
COPYRIGHT SECURED BY THE AUTHOR
MARK SUTHERLAND:
OR,
WEIR AND ECIPLE,


MARK SUTHERLAND:
OR,
POWER AND PRIECIPLE.
BY EMMA ID. 4. N. soyTHwoRTH
CHAP yI-Continucd,
Besides" said Miss Sutherland, GLIDING his
question and evading his eye there is fit
ness in these relations between the European
and the African races-Europeans could not
engage in agricultural labor under the burn
ing heat of our Southern sun -
"But why ensiape the negroes-why not
emancipate and hire them !" interrupted
Mark
"Oh you know she replied, hastily, that
the negroes will not work effectually, unless
driven to it,"
Plantation slaves will not, | grant you
but who has reduced them to this hopeless and
inert condition
81 do not know why you should call their
condition hopeless think, upon the whole,
they are at least as hopeful and as happy as
poor white people or free blacks. And | never
heard of bad MASTER who was not also bad
son, brother, husband, father, neighbor-in
short, who was not had Christian And if
you feel call to reform the world, Mark
Sutherland, why not begin at the right end,
and Christianize it-and all other reform will
follow early. and as matter of course Why
not do that! ~
Because, my dear India, unluckily the
world thinks itself already Christian. And if
the light that is in it be darkness how great is
that darkness = Neither, my dear girl, am
the missionary to dispel it, am quite unwor-
thy of and unpretending to, the name of
Christian and have no presumption to begin
reforming the world, either at the right end or
the wrong end only wish to do what | con-
slider simple act of justice, in matter be-
tween me and my own conscience"
81 do not understand why your conscience
should meddlo in the matter. The system ap
pears to me to be perfectly right--everythine
that we can wish. There il beautiful adapt
alton in the mutual relations existing between
the Anglo-Saxou master. aa.d the Ethiopian
slave for, observe the anglo-Saxon is highl,
intellectual, strong, proud, firm, self-willed, i'm
PEELED to govern, gifted with great mental in
dependence the Ethiopian, on the contrary, i
very unntellcctuaI, weak, lowly in mind, imi
tatiye, aifectionate, docile easily controlled
and these traits of character so harmonic in
| this connection. that it.seems to need only the
happy correspondence"
Il think, my dearest girl, that even in that
case the beautiful and happy correspondence
would be like Irish reciprocty--aH on one side.
Sefshness so blinds us, India -
! have no space to dilate on what was said
on either side. Both grew very serious, earnest,
and emphatic India became heated, fevered I;
she brought forward every plea she had ever
haur1 x,rasca1 IN 60 nf hos ~: l. IL
controversy but they could not stand a mo-
ment before the force of the truth he drove
home upon her conscience with all the power
of logic and eloquence. Bafiled and disap-
pointed in her failure, and unnerved by the
strangeness of anxiety and contention, she sud
denly burst into tears, and passionatey OK
claimed
"You do not love me You never loved me !
You prefer the fancied welfare of these miser-
able negroes to my comfort and happiness ~
The weakness betrayed in her emotion, the
vanity and selfishness manifested in her unjust
charge, must have Disguised Mark Sutherland,
had he not been a lover AS it was. he saw
and felt only her tears and sorrow, and adj
dressed himself to soothe her with all a lovers
solicitude. She took advantage Of his tender.
ness--perhaps she even misunderstood il. She
had failed to convince his judgment by her
arguments, failed to change his purpose by OPP
position and reproaches, and now she resolved
to try the power of love-of persuasion. She
suffered him to draw her to his bosom she
dropped her head upon his shoulder, with her
fearful face and soft hair against his
cheek, her arm upon his neck, and, halfcaress-
ing, suffered herself to be caressed, and lot him
feel how sweet her love was, by the unntter-
able sweetness Of her shy caress and when his
heart was weak unto death, she pleaded with
him, yieldingly, submssvely, tearfuIIy, as with
one who had the right and the power of order.
ing her dcstiny--that he would not doom her
TO lot 80 cruel 80 terrible that she WAS 30
for it; that he must know she was
that he would kill her in year that she did
not want TO die yet, 80 young and leave him
too.
All this was pleaded with her head upon his
shoulder, with her tace against his cheek, with
her hand pressed around his neck. This Sc
iuctive gentleness was very hard to resist, in
decd. He answered.
My dearest India, you are sole mistress Of
your own destiny, and, to great extent, of
mine. ! did hope that you would have borne
me company in my pilgrimage, and, even from
The first have shared my lot, hard a. it is sure
10 be. We have both read and heard how
women, even the most tenderly reared and
delicate, have, for affection, for constancy, for
ruth, and the great idea of duty, borne power
", toll, hardships and privations, even with a
better grace and with more forttude and pa
hence than the strongest men. But begin TO
.hink that history and tradition must exagger-
atc. How, indeed, could my own fragile lady
owe endure what my strong frame must en-
counter and overcome? No, dear India, ardent
y as once desired that you should be, from
his time forward, the partner OF my lot, | see
Ind feel that the wish was thoughtless, unrea-
'onsble, selfish. II was exacting far too much.
No, dearest, painful as it must be TO tear my
'elf from you, must 20 forth alone to do bat
lie with an adverse fate. Yet why should
,all it adverse ! 20 forth with youth, and
health, and strength with liberal education
md some talent; and when ] have attained
anne and fortune, then, like true knight, !
will come and lay them at my lady's feet, and
'laim--no, not claim, but sue for my blessed
ewardn
She said that she could not let him 60; 1t
would break her heart to part with him Could
,e leave her TO break her hearts Would he
'ot give up his purpose for her sake, and stay
With her. Her head was still upon his shout
Ter, and her face against his cheek. With
light movement, az once shy AID fond, she
ire ssed her lips 70 his neck and repeated her