Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-02-12
Slavery.
BY HORACE MANN.

:" Is the stealing, even Of shilling, crime !,
Slavery steals oil that man can call his own
and is not the whole greater than parti Is
ROBBERY, which is defined to be the taking of any
part Of a mans goods, " from his person, or in
his presence, against his will, by violence, or
putting him in fear,' crimel Slavery an
swers the exact definition of the law books t;
for it is by violence and by putting in bodily
fear that master ravishes from his slave all
his earnings, and all his ability to earn, from
birth till death. And again, say, is not the
whole greater than part; Is the destruction
of any one mans house by fire crime: How
much greater the crime OF preventing millions
of men from having house they can call their
ownf Is concubirage a crime In this Union,
all the adult portion Of moro than three millions
Of people arc now forced to live in state of
concubinage. Is il crime to abandon limo.
cent females to the lust of guilty men, without
the slightest protection of lawi In this coun-
try million and half Of females constantly
arc so abandoned, and tho rearing Of dark
skinned beauties for the ha.cms of republican
sultans is a systcmatized and legalizcd busi-
ness. Is it a crime to break assunder all the
ties Of human affection to tear children from
the arms Of their parents, and parents from
each othori There is no conjugal or parental
or fial affection among more than three mil
lions Of people in this land, which is sacred
from such violation. Is il crime 10 let MUIR
dor and all other offenses 60 unpunished -
lknr, Il C,r,. .r 4. L L
may not commit against slave with entire
impunity. il he will take tho prccaution to Let
mono but slaves witness it,
The darkcning of the intellect, the shrouding
of the soul in the gloom Of ignorance, the for
bidding of spirit which God made in His own
image to commune with his Maker, is more
than common crime--it is sacrilcge-soul
murder. 1t is crime which no other nation
on carth-civilized, heathcn or barbarian ever
committed to tho extent it is committed here.
And yet this locking of the temple Of know
ledge against whole race, this drawing of an
impenctrable veil between man and his Maker,
this rebelling against all that God has done TO
reveal Himself to His offspring, through the
providence, is enacted into laws, guarded by
terrible penalties, and administered by men
who call themselves Christians, as though Jesus
Christ could have subscribed to or executed
suth laws 1t is crime unspealSa5lc to deprive
men Of the Gospel, and of freedom to interpret
IL; but the slave code does this, by withhold
ing letters from the slave, and thus postponcs
the true enfranchisement and salvation Of his
soul to another life, when he can no longer bC
of any use TO his earthly master.t
Would it bo a crime to practice such demo
MAC art, by which the growth of body ant
limbs should be arrested in childhood, and tn,
." Every negro, mulatto, and Indian shOl
be incompetent as witnesses, except in suit
where they are parties cs"-Rev. STAT Ind, p
us, sec. 26l,
1t is frequently the case tina. hagrant crime
20 unpunished, under this law.
t"Any free person who shall hereafter teach
OF attempt 10 teach, any slave within this State
TO read or write, (the use of figures excepted,
or shall give or sell to such slave. or slaves
amy books or pamphlets, shall be liable to in
dictment in any court of record in this Stat
having jurisdiction thereof and shall be fined
imprisoned, or whipped,at the discretion c
the court, not 10 exceed thirty nino lashes.-
Revised Statutes cf North Carolina, 1880.
Similar laws are at his time il force in near
all the Savo States.